UBQ, Cascade Engineering supply waste carts

Cascade Engineering, based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has been selected to supply 3,000 residential municipal solid waste (MSW) carts to the Central Virginia Waste Management Authority (CVWMA).

“This partnership with UBQ Materials and Cascade Engineering demonstrates Virginia’s commitment to leadership in waste management,” CVWMA Executive Director Kim Hynes says. “We are proud to deliver closed-loop solutions that offer functionality to our customers while giving waste a new life and contributing to the circular economy.”

“The future of material innovation and waste management is here,” UBQ Materials co-founder Jack Bigio says. “UBQ Materials is proud to deliver a readily available material replacement for plastic that repurposes what might be sent to landfill into everyday goods for Virginians.”

"Creating this new line of trash carts with UBQ is a case study in advanced material innovation," Cascade Engineering CEO Christina Keller adds. "The ease of incorporating UBQ into this product line showcases the scalability of this circular solution for communities across the country.”

UBQ's composite material is made from residual MSW, including “everything from food residues and mixed plastics to cardboard, paper and even dirty diapers." Metals and minerals are removed and sent over to traditional recycling streams.

Cascade Engineering specializes in large-tonnage plastic injection molding, with its Cascade Cart Solutions business unit referred to as a designer and manufacturer of waste and recycling carts, containers and other products for municipalities and businesses.

“Exploring new technologies to convert household waste into reusable materials is a critical step toward a more sustainable future,” says Torrence Robinson, deputy director of the Richmond Department of Public Works.

“The department is excited to contribute to the circular economy by using trash carts made from municipal solid waste. UBQ Materials’ patented technology aligns with the mayor’s Sustainable Built Environment Pillar. Solutions like this help us reduce landfill dependency, lower emissions and rethink how we manage waste in our communities.”