A Plastic Waste Conversion Demonstration at Clean Oceans International HQ

Clean Oceans International is advancing Portable Plastic Waste Conversion (PPWC) technology - an innovative solution that transforms plastic waste into unrefined diesel fuel and other usable products. As seen in the video, plastic isn’t just removed from the environment—it’s repurposed into something valuable.

Unlike traditional recycling, PPWC units reduce the need for costly, carbon-intensive transport. The process uses thermal depolymerization to break down certain plastics without burning, making it cleaner and more adaptable for both remote communities and urban areas.

By converting plastic into fuel that can support local waste operations, this technology creates a practical incentive to collect and manage plastic waste—turning pollution into a resource, and challenges into opportunities.

​Plastic Waste Conversion: A Key Driver of the New Plastic Economy

Plastic pollution is a global crisis with especially severe impacts on the marine environment.

It took an entire generation and a global consumer culture to create this problem, and addressing it will require a similarly broad, long-term, international effort.

To drive that kind of collective action, economic incentive - specifically, the potential for profit - may be the most powerful motivator.

The Business Potential of Plastic Waste Conversion

Clean Oceans International is working to demonstrate that profit can be a powerful force for positive change in the global fight against plastic pollution. In 2015, COI received the first Portable Plastic Waste Conversion (PPWC) system built in the United States—designed specifically to address this growing crisis.

PPWC systems convert certain types of plastic waste, including most consumer packaging, into diesel, gasoline, or other petroleum products through thermal depolymerization powered by clean, safe electricity. The process is quiet, non-toxic, and suitable for small-scale, decentralized installation—making it ideal for remote communities and localized waste management solutions.

Portable ​Plastic Waste Conversion Collaboration

COI is collaborating with Oregon State University’s School of Chemical Engineering to help advance PPWC technology from prototype to profitable deployment - all while maintaining independent academic oversight to ensure human and environmental safety.

COI is also partnering with PDO Technologies Inc., a company committed to keeping plastic waste out of the natural environment. Founded by Kevin DeWhitt, PDO Technologies has developed plastic waste conversion systems that are economically efficient, carbon neutral, and adaptable for use even in the most remote corners of the world. [For an introduction to their process, click here.]

Empowering communities all over the Globe

PPWC technology is well-suited for both remote communities and metropolitan areas, offering localized recycling solutions that eliminate the need for costly, carbon-intensive transport and handling. The resulting fuel and other byproducts can help offset the energy demands of local waste management operations, creating a self-sustaining system. This win-win approach offers waste managers a faster return on investment, reduces landfill use, and minimizes the amount of plastic escaping into the environment.

COI’s 2015 TedX​ talk in NYC discussed how PPWC could be used at sea as well as in smaller, more remote communities.

​Frequently Asked Questions / FAQs

There are often questions that arise when speaking about pyrolysis and plastic waste conversion. You can learn more about that here.