Celebrating the Winners of Our Student Innovation Challenge: Used Oil Plastics

In December, ARMA partnered with the University of Alberta to launch the Student Innovation Challenge: Used Oil Plastics, inviting students to think outside the box and reimagine the future of plastic waste. Their mission: develop scalable, sustainable, and market-ready solutions using plastics from used oil containers.

We were thrilled to receive entries from seven passionate student teams who brought creativity, technical skill, and a commitment to circular innovation. Congratulations to everyone who participated—and especially to our three winning teams!

First Place:

A Smarter Way to Clean and Repurpose High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE)

This team developed an eco-friendly cleaning solution using organic solvents to remove oil residue from HDPE plastic. After cleaning, the plastic is molded into intermediate bulk containers (IBCs)—large, reusable storage units. To boost durability, the team added carbon black for UV protection and a cross-linking agent to improve strength. With a growing market for IBCs, their idea shows real promise for industrial scaling.

Second Place:

Cleaning to Compete: Making HDPE Market-Ready

Recognizing that contamination is the main barrier to reusing HDPE, this team focused on developing an advanced multi-step cleaning system. Their process includes shredding, solvent washing, centrifuging, and drying, leaving behind clean, high-quality plastic ready for reuse in a variety of applications. They even found ways to reuse the waste byproducts in industrial processes, making the system low-waste and cost-effective.

Third Place:

Recyclable Doors with a Hidden Sustainable Core

This team created 100% recyclable HDPE doors with a twist—inside the door is a core made from shredded used oil plastic. The door’s aluminum frame makes it fully recyclable, and customers can return it for a discount on a new one. Plus, it meets LEED green building standards and TRUE certification for sustainable resource management, making it a hit for eco-conscious builders and designers.

Congratulations again to all our participants. Your ideas are helping lead the way toward a world without waste. Together, we’re proving that with a little innovation, yesterday’s plastics can be tomorrow’s solution.

Stay tuned for our next challenge!