Plastic Tree is a waste management company that collects clean, undamaged, intact materials for REUSE. Instead of pulping, grinding or processing materials to be recycled or discarded after only one use, we collect, warehouse, sanitize as needed, and sell materials to local end-markets and businesses. Materials are only recycled at the end of their useful lifecycle. Our motto is Reuse, Reuse, Reuse, then Recycle!
We strive to restructure the waste hierarchy toward REUSE; think of us as a waste management company that diverts waste away from landfill and incineration. This collection system helps businesses meet supply chain needs and reduces the carbon emissions incurred from processing and transporting materials at greater distances. We also operate an electric / zero-emission fleet and plant one tree per household.
TEAM BIOS
Lara Ilao is the founder / owner of Plastic Tree, a DC-Based Waste Management Company that collects for REUSE. A lifelong environmentalist, she launched Plastic Tree in 2019, after a 12-year career in emergency management law, to focus on waste management and material recovery as a means to reduce pollution as well as our reliance on natural resources and the overproduction of materials and packaging.
Lara also serves as the Chair of the Leaders in Energy Circular Economy Working Group, which meets to implement circular models in the DMV Region, as well as provide educational presentations on various circular economy topics. She also serves as a mentor to the Global Co-Lab Network, where she works directly with a global community of student changemakers in developing and executing projects within their respective communities that address UN Sustainable Development Goals, with a focus on Responsible Consumption and Production. (LinkedIn)