Tackling Soft Plastics from Concept to Reality

A Four-Year Partnership with Clear Drop^®Yields New Era for Household Pre-Recycling Solutions

At a glance

CLIENT

Clear Drop

SERVICES

Project to Product
Physical Technology Development

INDUSTRY

Consumer

As a company committed to minimizing environmental impact and setting the course for a cleaner, greener future, Clear Drop’s cutting-edge appliances help solve consumer challenges related to home waste handling. When Clear Drop approached EPAM Continuum in 2020, the company needed a partner to help ideate, design, prototype and support manufacturing of a household device for managing soft plastic packaging. Over the course of our four-year partnership, we worked together to help develop SPC, a soft plastic compactor that transforms all household soft plastic refuse into a 12 × 8 × 4-inch “block” for easy, sustainable transport to the recycling facility, resulting in the reduction of landfill waste.

A TRUSTED PARTNERSHIP

Turning Plastic Waste into Compact Blocks

With an estimated five trillion plastic bags used annually around the globe, Clear Drop was looking for a way to reduce the amount of soft plastic contamination for a greener planet. In 2020, our globally distributed team of engineers, innovation consultants and UX designers began our partnership with the company as we sought a solution to the soft plastic packaging problem.

We began with the ideation stage — conducting market research, strategy development, technology feasibility and solution desirability — and then developed a Proof of Concept (PoC) and prototype (details of which can be found in our previous case study).

Since then, EPAM Continuum supported alpha and beta prototypes design and engineering, performed validation testing of the project and supervised all stages of new product introduction and small series manufacturing with onsite engineers — in collaboration with the client’s contract manufacturer to ensure the quality of manufactured and purchased parts. As a result of this collaborative effort, 35 units of the product were produced for delivery to the customer in late 2024.

All work was conducted in compliance with ISO 9001 standards, ensuring a high level of quality management throughout the development process. Additionally, EPAM Continuum supported Clear Drop throughout the rigorous certification process in compliance with UL/Intertek standards.

Project Timeline

A Technical Deep Dive

From a technical perspective, the SPC compresses soft plastic waste using a custom built-in press mechanism. The bespoke heating technique produces a thin molten shell around the compressed plastic, which maintains the reduced volume for storage but then allows for easy disintegration during the subsequent recycling process. The EPAM Continuum team helped produce mechanical and electronic technical documentation, as well as develop and thoroughly test robust firmware. Strength and temperature simulations were performed throughout the development process to validate the technical solution and inform design.

Features & Benefits

Highly convenient

Compact size, similar to the average trash can

Provides ample volume to collect one month’s worth of all plastic, up to 1/10 compacting ratio

Deposited through an automated feeder and rollers

Transforms all household soft plastic waste (anything from snack wrappers to plastic bags) into a 12 x 8 x 4-inch block

Block can be easily separated into original materials by a recycling facility but will not fall apart in transit

HEAR FROM OUR CUSTOMER

“I’m so appreciative of the work done by EPAM Continuum. The team was incredibly capable, committed and well organized — so much so that they were ready to work in a matter of days. We are grateful for the partnership.”

Ivan Arbouzov
CEO, Clear Drop, Inc