OREANDA-NEWS. September 22, 2011. As trash landfills are nearing full capacity in China, one Hong Kong company is trying to solve the problem… converting plastic waste into valuable fuel.

Echotech is a recycling company in Hong Kong that is running a prototype which processes three tons of plastic waste into roughly 1,000 liters of fuel oil everyday.

The inventor of the million-dollar converter machine explains how it works.

[Ming Cheung, Managing Director, Echotech]:
"So this process is going to convert this plastic back to this original stage. That is the fuel. Then we found out that the product, comes out what we call is the fuel, the property is about most likely simplely like the diesel but we have some gasoline inside and also some wax."

Plastic waste unfit for recycling is shredded, before being converted into gas in an airtight oxygen-free liquefying chamber. The gas then regains liquid form in a condenser, and water is then separated from the fuel.

While the sulfur-content of the plastic-made fuel is too high to be used in cars, it is much lower than marine-grade fuel. With the world’s second busiest port housing numerous diesel-powered ships, Hong Kong’s skyline is infamously polluted. Perhaps this new fuel can help alleviate the poor air quality.

[Ming Cheung, Managing Director, Echotech]:
“Marine grade diesel is about 3-4 percent and then we are only about 0.25 percent. So I believe (if) we got our product to use on the sea, this is great."

Ming is waiting for government approval to build a bigger version of the machine. There are still many challenges for now, though. Echotech imports its plastic waste from abroad, because recycling facilities in Hong Kong are not viable, due to land and labor work.

[Ming Cheung, Managing Director, Echotech]:
"I want all the plastic waste from Hong Kong but we need to do put some effort over there, maybe to educate society or maybe even do the legislation and put some regulation and make sure all this waste plastic is not going to the land fill and come to the proper place and get a proper solution for that.”

If successful, the commercial potential for the Echotech machine is huge. It will take time however, to overcome current challenges.