The Western Placer Waste Management Authority is offering $20,000 in prize money for its annual competition, managed by the Carlsen Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at California State University, Sacramento.

ROSEVILLE, CALIF. – The Western Placer Waste Management Authority (WPWMA) and Carlsen Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship recently announced the nine innovation concepts selected to compete in the final pitch of the third annual Circular Economy Innovation Competition.

“Each year the caliber of entries keeps increasing and we couldn’t be more excited about this year’s finalists,” said Emily Hoffman, WPWMA Public Information Officer. “Additionally, their understanding and passion for supporting a local circular economy will be incredible for fostering future economic growth and environmental sustainability in our region, across the State, and even the globe.”

The public is invited to attend the final pitch competition at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, April 16 at the Roseville Venture Lab (316 Vernon Street), a public-private partnership between the City of Roseville and Growth Factory. Those interested in attending are invited to RSVP using this link.

About the Nine Finalists:

• BIOCHOSEN (Mohammad Tajparast) – El Dorado Hills-based company that utilizes organic solid waste and leachate to produce a biodegradable packaging material.
• The Center for Regenerative Design and Collaboration (CRDC) North America (Ross Gibby) – Pennsylvania-based manufacturing company that utilizes Plastics #1-7 to create a lightweight aggregate material for use in concrete and asphalt applications.
• ECOACT TANZANIA (Christian Mwijage) – Tanzania-based revenue generating business that uses multi-layer plastics and post-consumer packaging waste to create sustainable materials for furniture, building, and construction applications.
• Ecofirebuster Inc. (Lakpa Sherpa) – Richmond-based innovation that utilizes wood and yard waste to create a non-toxic, biodegradable, fire-resistant solution designed to prevent and combat wildfires and industrial fires.
• ENTEIN LLC (Bill Burns) – San Luis Obispo-based innovation that utilizes organic waste and black soldier fly larvae to create an FDA approved feed source for livestock and a CDFA approved fertiziler.
• FLUID (Teresa Sculpts) – Rancho Cordova-based company that recycles textile waste into products for pets including beds and toys.
• Lorna M Designs (Lorna M) – Fair Oaks-based company that recycles textiles, rubber and plastic waste into high-quality backpacks, purses, wallets and more.
• Nexstera Tech (Penny Lane Case) – San Luis Obispo-based startup with innovations that detect, collect and process Lithium-ion batteries.
• TerraNova Bio (Jacob Somera) – Santa Cruz-based innovation that utilizes a fungal-based technology to recycle Polyurethane plastics into reusable precursory materials.

The focus of this competition is to catalyze a group of early-stage ventures by elevating their startups and providing capacity to refine their concepts and messages through mentorships and training provided by the Carlsen Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, and ultimately the opportunity to compete for funding.

The 2024 competition winner was Fiber Global, an Indiana-based manufacturing startup that recycles cardboard into medium-density fiberboards (MDF). Additionally, in 2024 the competition judges elected to award a $5,000 Innovator Award to Sierra College student-led ECO-Builder which recycles plastic waste into building materials.

“The Carlsen Center and Sacramento State have been wonderful partners to the WPWMA throughout the three years of the competition and we look forward to seeing how our collaboration progresses as the Placer Center is constructed in the coming years,” said Hoffman.

In addition to continuing to support the Circular Economy Innovation Competition, the WPWMA’s Board of Directors also approved funding research projects for Sacramento State faculty related to the circular economy and other forward-looking challenges for the solid waste and recycling industry.

The Circular Economy Innovation Competition has been one of the first steps in the WPWMA’s goals to foster a local circular economy on their campus. The agency has reserved nearly 250 acres of their 1,000-acre site for siting recycling manufacturing and energy generating businesses that will take the WPWMA’s products as feedstock and transform them into new materials or other beneficial use. The competition winners and other existing companies looking to site operations in Placer County will have access to this circular economy and R&D business park. The agency is in the planning phase of this development but anticipates construction of backbone utility infrastructure and other site improvements on this portion of their site to begin in 2026.

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation defines the World’s current economy as a ‘linear’ system, where materials are procured from the Earth to make products and then are eventually disposed. A circular economy vastly contrasts as it aims to stop waste from being produced in the first place. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation has based their circular economy model off of three principles – to eliminate waste and pollution, to circulate products and materials (at their highest value), and to regenerate nature.

These ideals are central to the goals of the WPWMA’s Renewable Placer Waste Action Plan and will be enhanced by the WPWMA’s $120 million facility improvement project due to be completed in June that will introduce new state-of-the-art recycling technologies and nearly triple the amount of recyclable material recovered from Placer County’s waste.

Learn more about the Renewable Placer Waste Action Plan and the innovations at the Western Placer Waste Management Authority at wpwma.ca.gov.