Each year, Americans toss 300 million tires, 25 billion plastic bottles, and mountains of other waste… from carpet scraps to car interiors… That’s why a new industry is quickly growing to convert that waste into energy.   It’s one of a variety of efforts – from wind to biodigestors – to find new energy sources.

After working for decades for big oil and gas companies, Jim Garrett started Vadxx Energy about 2 years ago.  The company, with facilities in Akron and Cleveland, converts old tires and non-recyclable plastics into oil.   Garrett appears on a panel today in Akron to discuss the fledgling industry.  He says taking advantage of the nearly unlimited resource of waste products is yielding big profits.  

Jim Garrett describes how the process works...