Investigating the 61-pound machine that eats plastic and spits out bricks

"By bricking your plastic, the company claims it'll no longer jam recycling equipment the way individual plastic bags often do. Just feed your plastics into this 61-pound bin and watch them magically disappear into its whirring slot. Wait for it to spit out a brick weeks later, drop it into a supplied bag, and let the US Postal Service whisk your guilt away."

"Like Juicero, the ill-fated $700 juice squeezing machine where humans could squeeze the juice pouches with their bare hands instead, I fear they haven't thought this trash-squeezing machine through. Justine and I worry these tools might even encourage people to consume more disposable plastic."

"But unlike Juicero, this isn't a solution in search of a problem. The problem exists. For a month, I really did have a way to keep plastic out of the landfill, and I feel guiltier than ever now I'm throwing that plastic back in the trash."

Clear Drop offers a soft plastic compactor that converts unrecyclable plastics like shopping bags, mailers, and bubble wrap into compact 3-pound bricks for postal return. The device aims to prevent plastic from jamming recycling equipment and ending up in landfills. However, after extensive testing, reviewers found significant drawbacks: the 61-pound machine is clunky to operate, the service costs $1,400 initially, and the environmental impact remains questionable. Similar to failed products like Juicero, Clear Drop may inadvertently encourage increased plastic consumption while failing to provide genuine environmental solutions. Users report feeling guiltier about plastic waste after using the system.

Read at The Verge