SCHUMER ANNOUNCES $400,000 IN FED FUNDING FOR BINGHAMTON’S KLAW INDUSTRIES
New EPA $$ Will Help KLAW Develop Tech To Reduce Waste Sent To Landfill With Automated Recycling System To Bolster Operations In The Southern Tier
Schumer: KLAW Is The Success Story I Had In Mind When Establishing A High-Tech Incubator In Binghamton!
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer today announced $400,000 in federal funding for the Binghamton-based KLAW Industries to produce a robotic sorting system to improve recycling facilities in disadvantaged communities. The federal funding comes from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR).
“KLAW Industries is exactly the kind of innovative company I had in mind when I joined with Binghamton University, New York State and Broome County to establish a high-tech incubator in the City of Binghamton. Today’s announcement of $400,000 in federal funding builds on the success of this innovative, homegrown business,” said Senator Schumer. “From incubator to their growing operation today, KLAW is paving the way to grow the region’s economy and make significant contributions in the material used in the concrete industry.”
Schumer added, “With these funds, KLAW will be able to advance its glass sorting capabilities by creating a state-of-the-art robotic sorting system to improve both the processes at glass recycling facilities, and the number of facilities they can service. That means more glass material kept out of landfills, more material flowing to their Binghamton facility to help them grow! Once again, the Southern Tier is proving to be a leader, and I am thrilled that these funds are flowing to the Southern Tier.”
“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with the EPA in identifying impactful end uses for our recycled materials. This achievement would not have been possible without the invaluable support of the City of Binghamton and Broome County, who have played a key role in bringing national recognition to the important work happening here,” said Jacob Kumpon, Co-Founder and COO of KLAW Industries. “The EPA SBIR Phase II award will significantly enhance KLAW’s capacity to process recycled materials, marking a critical step in our efforts to divert local waste from landfills. The Koffman Southern Tier Incubator has been instrumental in securing federal support for Binghamton, and we are especially grateful for Senator Schumer’s foresight in making the Koffman a reality”.
KLAW Industries is a Binghamton-based company that re-purposes contaminated glass, not suitable for recycling, that would otherwise be sent to a landfill, into a replacement for cement called Pantheon. The inclusion of this patent-pending material into concrete, reduces carbon emissions and the amount of waste sent to landfills. KLAW received an initial Phase I award of $100,000 earlier this year for “proof of concept” for their technology and was invited to apply for Phase II funding of $400,000 to further develop and commercialize the technology. The second phase of federal funding that Schumer announced today will help KLAW expand their operations on Griswold Street to develop technology that will create an autonomous robotic sorting system for recycling facilities. This will help KLAW find contaminated glass to make Pantheon and create more efficient recycling sorting methods in disadvantaged communities in Binghamton and beyond.
After bringing federal officials to Binghamton to discuss plans with project leaders in 2013, Schumer helped secured $2 million in federal funding for the Koffman Southern Tier incubator in downtown Binghamton, which KLAW Industries is part of. With Schumer’s help, the incubator has grown to support hundreds of jobs and become a magnet for entrepreneurs from around the region, state, and country.
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