# 186 - Landfill degradable water bottles?? Kahle Wightman from Serum

- Show: [People of Packaging](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging)
- Published: 2023-03-29
- Length: 27m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2023-03-29-186-landfill-degradable-water-bottles-kahle-wightman-from-serum
- Listen: https://encase.substack.com/p/186-landfill-degradable-water-bottles

## Summary

Kahle Wightman, founder of Serum, explains her company's approach to plastic waste by using an additive that allows recycled plastics to biodegrade in landfills and aid methane capture. She discusses the technical details of landfill gas-to-energy systems, the reality of waste management, and why embracing managed landfills is a pragmatic sustainability strategy. Wightman outlines Serum's initial focus on single-use water bottles made from post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic and addresses concerns about the additive's impact on the recycling stream.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2023-03-29-186-landfill-degradable-water-bottles-kahle-wightman-from-serum#t=0) Introduction and Guest Background
- [3:48](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2023-03-29-186-landfill-degradable-water-bottles-kahle-wightman-from-serum#t=228) From Super Yachts to Plastic Sustainability
- [10:37](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2023-03-29-186-landfill-degradable-water-bottles-kahle-wightman-from-serum#t=637) Serum's Technology: Additives and Landfill Biodegradation
- [13:42](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2023-03-29-186-landfill-degradable-water-bottles-kahle-wightman-from-serum#t=822) The Reality of Landfill Gas-to-Energy Systems
- [20:50](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2023-03-29-186-landfill-degradable-water-bottles-kahle-wightman-from-serum#t=1250) Recyclability and Future Product Expansion

## Topics

- [Sustainability & circular products](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sustainability-and-circularity)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Serum (company)
- Spec Wright (company)
- Spark Packaging (company)
- Coca-Cola (company)
- Nestle (company)
- Ellen MacArthur (other)
- Dr. Bruce Welt (other)
- Michael Ferrari (other)
- Net Energy (company)
- Myers (company)
- Sustainable Packaging with Cory Connors (other)
- Packaging Unbox'd (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Making garbage useful with Tom Szaky of TerraCycle](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-08-17-making-garbage-useful-with-tom-szaky-of-terracycle) (How I Built This)
- [Building the Rails to Eliminate Single-Use Plastic Water Bottles with Manuela Zoninsein, CEO and Founder at Kadeya](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2023-04-27-building-the-rails-to-eliminate-single-use-plastic-water-bottles-with-manuela-zo) (Hardware to Save a Planet)
- [Intelligent Dumpsters and Sustainable Waste Disposal with Ben Chehebar, VP of Hardware at RoadRunner Recycling, and Jason Gates, Senior VP of Strategy at RoadRunner Recycling](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2023-03-30-intelligent-dumpsters-and-sustainable-waste-disposal-with-ben-chehebar-vp-of-har) (Hardware to Save a Planet)
- [This episode is trash](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2023-01-19-this-episode-is-trash) (Catalyst)
- [The Waste Management Industry with Jeff Satwicz, Co-Founder of Bigbelly](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2022-06-23-the-waste-management-industry-with-jeff-satwicz-co-founder-of-bigbelly) (Hardware to Save a Planet)

## Citing this page

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