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Wisconsin company receives small business contract for new environmental technology

Release Date: 06/13/2006
Contact Information: Karen Thompson (312) 353-8547 Thompson.Karen@epa.gov

For Immediate Release
No. 06-OPA97

CHICAGO (June 13, 2006) — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 recently announced that CRI Recycling Services Inc. of Woodville, Wis., has been awarded a $70,000 contract for its “empty” plastic oil bottle recycling technology. Ten companies in Region 5 received more than $1 million in funding from the 2006 Small Business Innovation Research program.

It is estimated that 260 million pounds of recyclable plastic and 16 million gallons of recyclable oil, with the potential to migrate into surface and ground water, are thrown away each year. The CRI product would extract oil from the plastic using a liquefied gas solvent, allowing both the oil and clean plastic to be recycled. Users would range from do-it-yourselfers to quick-change oil facilities, auto mechanics and auto parts stores.

The 22 million small businesses in the United States employ about 51 percent of the private work force and develop most of the country’s new technologies. Years ago, Congress recognized the need to strengthen the role of small businesses in federally funded research and development and passed a law creating the Small Business Innovation Research program for businesses with no more than 500 employees. EPA’s highly competitive SBIR program offers critical financial support to small businesses to develop the technologies in areas of environmental protection including clean air and water, hazardous and solid wastes, pollution prevention, remediation and monitoring. Recent issues also include homeland security.

To learn more about these research projects and EPA’s SBIR program, visit: www.epa.gov/ncer/sbir.

EPA relies on quality science as the basis for sound policy and decision-making. EPA’s laboratories, research centers and grantees are building the scientific foundation needed to support the Agency’s mission to safeguard human health and the environment.