How Google's X, The Moonshot Factory is Rethinking Recycling

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Recorded28 Apr 2025

Publisherfeeds.simplecast.com ↗

Handlerec:15589752

Show notes

What if the future of recycling isn't just about managing 'waste'—but unlocking its value? At Google's X, the Moonshot Factory, turning moonshots into reality means rethinking the impossible. And in this episode, you'll hear how that vision could help build a smarter, more circular world—one molecule, algorithm, and bold idea at a time. Recorded live at SXSW, this episode features Rey Banatao and Peter Chauvel - two of the brightest minds of Google's X, the Moonshot Factory. They're leading a bold effort to change how the world uses and reuses materials, starting with plastics. With help from AI, robotics, and new molecular data, their team is reimagining how recycling works and how we can build better systems to keep materials in use and out of the landfill.In this episode we dive into: How advanced recycling is opening the door to reuse materials once destined for the binWhy the moonshot factory believes plastics can be recycled and remanufactured—without extracting more petroleumThe role of AI, machine learning and better data are building smarter recycling infrastructureHow better data is transforming the economics of recyclingWhat it takes to try bold ideas from inside one of the world's most audacious incubatorsWhat happens when you treat waste as a resource

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