GreenMantra’s DiMondo Drives Innovation in Chemical Recycling
Chemical recycling is increasingly recognized as a cutting-edge means to transform hard-to-recycle waste plastic into high-performing polymers. GreenMantra, a fast-growing tech start-up, has been at the forefront in chemical recycling, and Domenic DiMondo has led much of the work that has led to GreenMantra’s success.
Since joining GreenMantra nine years ago, DiMondo, now the company’s vice president of technology and business development, created the company’s process by which it converts waste plastics into novel specialty polymer products. Through his diligence and ongoing research, he has enabled these wasted plastics to take on a new life and has seen to it that these polymers, used in applications such as roofing and road materials, function on par with virgin materials.
Speaking about DiMondo, Christy Sapp, GreenMantra’s global director of market development, says, “Passionate advocacy for social change in and of itself is an admirable quality. However, what’s more rare and even more commendable is the ability to identify a successful business model and scale it to impart impactful social change. This is what Domenic has done, and it is one of the many things that makes him an inspiration.”
Sapp says DiMondo came to the realization that the world was facing a growing crisis in the area of hard-to-recycle plastics well before that crisis hit the mainstream media.
“He realized that being a chemist and social advocate alone would not be enough to change the world, so he continued to develop himself in the areas of strategy and business in his post-graduate studies,” Sapp says. “He then brought that combination of skills together to create the GreenMantra technology and business, which is now diverting tens of thousands of pounds of plastics from the landfill each year.”
In recognition of his innovative work, DiMondo has been named a 2020 Waste360 40 Under 40 award recipient.
DiMondo recently spoke with Waste360 about how he has applied his knowledge of chemistry to upcycle waste materials for GreenMantra and what he anticipates the future will hold for the plastic chemical recycling industry.
Waste360: What were you doing before you came to GreenMantra?
Domenic DiMondo: Prior to joining GreenMantra, I completed a master’s degree in chemistry at the University of Guelph. My thesis focused on the development and evaluation of catalysts to upgrade biomass to valuable chemicals. During my graduate studies, I developed a passion for applying chemistry to upcycle waste materials.
Waste360: