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Turning Trash into Treasure: The UBQ Revolution in Sustainable Thermoplastics

Transforming the global waste crisis: How UBQ converts landfilled garbage into climate-positive, recyclable thermoplastic materials for a circular economy.

By Medha deb

Created on Sep 27, 2025

Transforming the global waste crisis: How UBQ converts landfilled garbage into climate-positive, recyclable thermoplastic materials for a circular economy.

UBQ: Pioneer of Transforming Garbage into Sustainable Thermoplastic

As the world grapples with over two billion tonnes of municipal solid waste generated annually, most of which ends up languishing in landfills or being incinerated, one solution is quietly ushering in a new era of circular sustainability: UBQ Materials.
Based in Israel, UBQ Materials has developed cutting-edge, patented technology that converts unsorted household garbage—including organics and hard-to-recycle plastics—into a climate-positive, fully recyclable thermoplastic composite.

How UBQ Turns Garbage into Thermoplastic

The core innovation behind UBQ Materials is the ability to accept unsorted household waste directly from municipal streams. This includes a remarkable variety of trash:

Food residues and organic matter
Mixed plastics
Cardboard and dirty paper
Diapers and other hard-to-recycle items

Unlike traditional recycling, which requires pre-sorting and is often limited to certain plastics, UBQ’s system uses almost everything except metals, glass, and minerals—these are separated and sent to established recycling channels.

The UBQ Conversion Process

Collection and Pre-processing: UBQ receives mixed municipal solid waste. Metals and glass are separated and sent for conventional recycling.
Breakdown of Organic Matter: The organic portion (typically 70-80% of the feedstock) is dried, chopped, fluffed, and then sent into special reactors. There, it is reduced to its most basic, natural building blocks—cellulose, lignin, fibers, sugars, and other bio-based molecules.
Matrix Formation: These organic particles are reassembled and bonded together into a robust fiber matrix.
Incorporation of Plastics: Mixed plastics (comprising 20-30% of the feed) are melted and physically bound into the matrix, forming a homogeneous composite material.
Pelletization: The resulting UBQ material is compressed into pellet form for easy handling, distribution, and manufacturing.

This process stands out because it uses minimal energy, avoids water consumption, and produces no waste effluent. In a closed-loop system, heat from one phase of the process is reused, further minimizing the carbon footprint.

Climate-Positive and Circular by Design

The huge environmental payoff of UBQ’s technology is twofold:

Landfill Diversion: Every ton of UBQ produced prevents household wastes—including highly volatile organics—from decomposing in landfills, where they would release methane and other greenhouse gases.
Biobased Carbon Storage: Much of the carbon in UBQ pellets comes from the biogenic (plant-derived) portion of the waste. This carbon was recently absorbed from the atmosphere and is now sequestered in the finished plastic for years or decades.

According to the company, for every ton of UBQ manufactured, 11.7 tons of CO₂-equivalent greenhouse gas emissions are avoided—making UBQ “the most climate-positive thermoplastic on the market.” All this is achieved while producing a drop-in replacement for petroleum-based resins, supporting the shift to a truly circular economy.

UBQ’s Contribution to Carbon-Negative Manufacturing

All electricity used in UBQ’s manufacturing comes from renewable sources.
No water effluent or hazardous waste is generated during production.
Energy recovery systems capture and reuse waste heat, cutting further emissions.
All metals and minerals are sent to existing recycling streams.

Applications: Integrating UBQ into Everyday Products

UBQ’s material is not merely a green curiosity—it is already being used by leading global brands. The composite can be blended with common resins (such as PP, PE, HDPE, PLA, PVC, ABS, PS, EVA, and others) and processed with most conventional equipment: injection molding, extrusion, compression molding, 3D printing, and rotomolding.

Notable UBQ-Infused Products and Partners

Automotive: Mercedes-Benz employs UBQ materials in constructing select vehicle components.
Food Service: McDonald’s franchises in Brazil and the Caribbean use trays and building materials containing UBQ.
Consumer Goods and Packaging: PepsiCo incorporates UBQ in product pallets and retail displays.
Public Infrastructure: Building and construction materials, as well as municipal waste bins, now feature UBQ-derived pellets.

The intrinsic flexibility of UBQ allows manufacturers to reduce their carbon footprint simply by switching or blending with UBQ thermoplastic in place of virgin or recycled fossil-based plastics.

Compatibility Table: UBQ Material and Common Thermoplastics

Thermoplastic	Compatibility with UBQ	Common Application Examples
Polypropylene (PP)	Excellent	Automotive parts, food trays
Polyethylene (PE, HDPE)	Excellent	Packaging, bins
Polylactic Acid (PLA)	Good	Biodegradable cutlery, compostable items
PVC, ABS, PS, EVA	Compatible	Miscellaneous industrial and consumer products

Scaling the UBQ Vision: From Pilot to Global Impact

UBQ’s first pilot plant was built in southern Israel, strategically located next to a landfill to draw a steady stream of municipal solid waste. The pilot plant has an annual capacity of about 7,700 tons, and now also serves as a research and development hub.

In late 2023, UBQ celebrated a major step forward with the opening of its first large-scale facility in Bergen op Zoom, Netherlands, with an annual production capacity of over 88,000 tons—repurposing waste destined for European landfills or incinerators. Plans for U.S. expansion are ambitious, starting with an intended 110,000 tons per year capacity and room to triple that as demand grows.

The Science Behind the Circular Thermoplastic

Why has UBQ succeeded where so many previous attempts at complex waste-to-material conversion have failed? The answer lies in the chemistry:

Organic matter is broken down to base molecules, such as lignin and cellulose, which have high tensile strength and structural versatility.
Mixed plastics are aggregated and distributed evenly in the biomatrix, acting as a binder and enhancing durability.
The end composite is both physical and chemically consistent, with performance characteristics rivaling conventional plastics.

This holistic approach means even food scraps or cardboard contaminated with grease—materials previously landfilled or incinerated—can now be reincorporated into new, valuable products.

Market Advantages: Why UBQ Makes a Difference

Cost-Competitive: Compared to virgin resins, UBQ’s thermoplastic is economically viable as a direct substitute or additive—especially as the cost of landfill disposal and carbon emissions rise.
Quality Assurance: All UBQ batches undergo rigorous third-party certifications, testing for safety, mechanical performance, and environmental impact.
Global Standards: UBQ material meets strict regulatory requirements in all deployment markets, including the European Union and United States.
Brand Value: Companies using UBQ can credibly market products as being both recycled and climate-positive—a major boost as consumers and industries prioritize sustainability.

UBQ and the Circular Economy

UBQ embodies the principles of the circular economy—where waste is not an endpoint, but a resource. Instead of single-use disposal, materials circulate in industrial and consumer loops, repeatedly repurposed with minimal loss.

UBQ diverts landfilled waste by transforming it into versatile, high-value thermoplastics.
When UBQ-based plastics reach end-of-life, they can be mechanically recycled, extending their circular life even further.
As demand for sustainable products grows globally, businesses can lower their reliance on fossil-based plastics and extractive industries.

This is a true “win-win” for environmental managers, manufacturers, and broader society.

Challenges and the Road Ahead

No transformative technology is without hurdles. UBQ’s journey continues to face:

Scaling Up: Meet soaring global demand with new plants and efficient logistics to handle streams of diverse waste composition.
Consumer Perception: Educate brands and buyers on the quality and reliability of waste-derived thermoplastics.
Regulatory Compliance: Continually adapt to changing health, safety, and material standards across international jurisdictions.

Nevertheless, with each new facility and corporate partnership, UBQ proves a sustainable, climate-positive future for plastics is not just possible—it’s already materializing.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: What types of trash can UBQ process?

A: UBQ can convert almost all unsorted household waste, including organic materials (like food scraps), mixed plastics, cardboard, dirty paper, and even items like diapers. Only metals, glass, and minerals are filtered out for specialist recycling.

Q: How is UBQ different from regular plastic recycling?

A: Unlike traditional systems that require sorting and can only recycle certain plastics, UBQ can process mixed, unsorted waste—transforming materials that would otherwise go to the landfill (such as dirty organics or contaminated paper) into high-value thermoplastic.

Q: What does “climate-positive” mean for UBQ?

A: UBQ’s process is considered climate-positive because for each ton of UBQ thermoplastic produced, approximately 11.7 tons of CO₂-equivalent greenhouse gases are prevented from entering the atmosphere. Additionally, biogenic carbon is locked into usable materials for years to come.

Q: Where can UBQ material be used?

A: UBQ material is compatible with most common plastics and manufacturing equipment. It is already used in automotive parts, packaging, municipal bins, food trays, construction products, and many more applications.

Q: Are UBQ-based plastics recyclable?

A: Yes, UBQ thermoplastics can be mechanically recycled in the same way as many conventional plastics, making them fit for circular product life cycles.

Q: How does UBQ reduce landfill and emissions?

A: By using household waste that would otherwise generate methane and CO₂ in landfills, UBQ diverts material into valuable, long-lasting products. The process itself emits very little carbon because it uses renewable energy and reuses waste heat.

Conclusion: UBQ and the Future of Waste

UBQ Materials represents a quantum leap in sustainable waste management and plastics manufacturing. By turning everyday garbage into a high-value, climate-positive thermoplastic, UBQ closes the loop for waste, offering hope for a cleaner, more circular economy worldwide. As new plants come online and partners from diverse industries adopt UBQ-based products, the vision of zero landfill and sustainable materials is moving from aspiration to reality.

References

Author

medha deb

Medha Deb is an editor with a master's degree in Applied Linguistics from the University of Hyderabad. She believes that her qualification has helped her develop a deep understanding of language and its application in various contexts.

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