Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego joined Arizona State University, Hustle PHX, Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona and the city of Phoenix public works and community and economic development departments to open a plastics microfactory, a facility where plastic waste is remanufactured on site into new products, creating a circular system.

The new program is part of Phoenix’s Climate Action Plan goals to reach 50% waste diversion by 2030 and zero waste by 2050.

“As we continue working with a mission of reaching our sustainability goals here in Phoenix, we are taking a fresh look at how we can extend the lifecycles of everyday products in order to prevent waste,” Gallego shared in a press release. “This first-in-kind microfactory will not only help us keep plastic out of landfills, but in collaboration with Hustle PHX, will also support the creation of good, green jobs.”

The microfactory extracts the economic and social value tied to waste by adhering to a new system that can be distributed, decentralized and replicable, hence the “micro” in its name. This new factory will convert materials that would otherwise reach a landfill and remanufacture them into pellets and ultimately new products.