Copy to clipboard 
Brightmark, a circular innovations company with a mission to Reimagine Waste®, announced that its strategic partnership with Lewis Salvage, an independently-owned recycling company based in Warsaw, Indiana has surpassed one million pounds of plastics recycled, successfully diverting medical plastic waste away from landfills and incinerators.
“Surpassing the 1-million-pound mark is more than just a number; it’s proof that advanced recycling technologies can make a real impact on the healthcare industry’s plastic waste challenge,” said Bob Powell, Founder and CEO of Brightmark. “Our proprietary Plastics Renewal® technology is at the core of this success, enabling us to recycle a broad range of plastics—including those from healthcare settings that would otherwise be discarded. Since launching this effort, we’ve increased the volume of plastics recycled and demonstrated a model for the recycling of medical plastics.”
This achievement marks a significant step forward in addressing the growing environmental challenge posed by single-use plastics utilized in the healthcare industry. Since the inception of this strategic partnership on July 30, 2024, Brightmark has increased its recycling efforts from an initial 400,000 pounds of plastic waste to over 1 million pounds.
“Our partnership with Brightmark is transforming waste into valuable materials, reducing landfill use, and creating new opportunities for businesses to join the circular economy,” said Cary Lewis, Owner & CEO of Lewis Salvage. “As Warsaw’s orthopedic manufacturing industry grows, manufacturers are seeking more sustainable, efficient recycling solutions. Together, we’re proving that innovative technology and commitment can drive true environmental stewardship.”
Through Lewis Salvage’s Minimized Landfill Recycling Program, healthcare plastics from medical device and orthopedic implant manufacturers are collected and transported to the Brightmark Circularity Center in Ashley, Indiana. Using Plastics Renewal technology, Brightmark transforms a wide range of difficult-to-recycle materials—including trays, films, Styrofoam, packaging and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) machining chips and turnings from implant manufacturing—into the building blocks used to create new, circular products.
This milestone builds on last year’s launch of the Brightmark and Lewis Salvage partnership, which set out to improve healthcare plastics recyclability in the Warsaw region. Since then, the collaboration has expanded its impact, diverting even more difficult-to-recycle medical plastics from landfills and transforming them into valuable circular products.
Source: Brightmark LLC
