Innovation Competition Showcases Ontario Recycling Technologies

Nov. 26, 2012 - PRLog -- Mississauga, ON, November 26, 2012 – Recycling Idol, a first of its kind innovation event, is being held 8:30am to 11:30am on December 6th at the Noel Ryan Auditorium, Central Library, in Mississauga, Ontario. Recycling Idol will see 4 emerging recycling technology companies compete against each other to showcase cutting edge technologies that aim to improve environmental and waste diversion initiatives in Ontario. The companies are competing for $30,000 in prizes and bragging rights.

The “Recycling Idol” competition is a hybrid of the popular shows American Idol and Dragon’s Den. Recycling technology finalists are invited to present their company pitch to an investor panel who will comment on the technologies and the audience will vote to decide the winner.  The event is hosted by RIC (Research Innovation & Commercialization) Centre, part of the Ontario Network of Excellence (oneinnovation.ca).  

Recycling Idol’s panel of judges features notable environment and investment experts including the Environment Commissioner of Ontario, Gord Miller; Franco Hasou, Partner with Ernst & Young’s Cleantech practice; and Shirley Speakman, Investment Director at MaRS Investment Accelerator Fund.

The four finalists who were chosen after a rigorous evaluation process, which reviewed dozens of applications, are:
1. B and R Custom Machining Limited cleans 20% contaminated tire wire into steel and rubber.
2. Blue Mountain Plastics has a "closed loop" PET plastic recycling operation.
3. CR Plastic Products Inc. makes high quality patio furniture from recycled plastic.
4. Tyromer Inc. uses its patented tire rubber devulcanization technology to revert scrap tire rubber into a compoundable rubber used in tire manufacturing.

Sponsors of the event include Bereskin & Parr , Blade Branding, Canadian Restaurant and Food-services Association, Ernst & Young, Emterra Group, Environmental Business Consultants, e-Path Consulting, Ontario Tire Stewardship, SRED Unlimited, Stewardship Ontario and Turning Technologies Canada.

Register to attend at RIC Centre’s website (http://riccentre.ca/recycling-idol/).

ABOUT RIC CENTRE: A not-for-profit organization supporting the development of innovation and entrepreneurship in Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon. RIC Centre provides commercialization support to help new entrepreneurs and seasoned business people take technical innovations to market. Since 2008, RIC has worked with over 150 companies, and 46% of all successful clients at RIC have either received funding or been introduced to funding sources and investors.