MacroCycle and FutureBio aim to make plastic recycling cheaper and more sustainable

Shockingly, only 5% of plastics are recyclable. That’s right, only a smidgen of what we put in our recycling bins is actually recycled—the vast majority goes to landfills or deteriorates into microplastics.

Two recycling-focused startups are working on changing that statistic: MacroCycle is a recycling technology that returns plastic to its “virgin-grade” form, a process it says is cheaper and uses less energy than traditional recycling. The company just announced it raised $6.5 million in seed funding from Clean Energy Ventures, Volta Circle, KDT Ventures, and Neotribe Ventures.

FutureBio, on the other hand, is producing biorenewable plastics that are “up to 95% recyclable.” And like MacroCycle’s recycling process, FutureBio claims its materials are also cheaper and greener to recycle. The company will be UC Berkeley’s first tenant in its new Bakar Climate Labs, affording its scientists lab space, networking opportunities, and other resources.

MacroCycle aims to use its tech to recycle bottles made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyester waste from textiles. FutureBio said in a press release that its biorenewable plastics will make recycling more cost effective than producing new plastic, “creating a natural incentive for businesses to recycle.”

“Many startups have attempted to create new recyclable plastics like we have. But what they have not been able to achieve is creating plastic that is biorenewable and cheaper to recycle,” FutureBio founder Zilong Wang said. “That’s the game-changer.”

MacroCycle CEO Stwart Peña Feliz also said that his company’s technology will create “economic benefits of recycling.”

“Today’s advanced recycling technologies are too expensive to build and operate, and still yield low-value products. MacroCycle’s technology provides a more efficient process to produce high-quality plastic that can be adopted as a drop-in solution competitive with fossil fuel-based plastic,” Feliz said in a press release. “Our technology will be a key enabler for plastic circularity.”