5 Innovations in Recycling & Use of Plastic Waste
From art installations to plastic roads and 3D printed furniture for public spaces, companies from around the world are finding ways to reuse plastic waste and related carbon footprint.
One of the best ways to address the global plastic waste issue is to find innovative ways to reuse or upcycle plastic scrap and recycle scrap to create new products.
Here’s a list of the innovative ways individuals and companies worldwide are repurposing plastic waste.
- 3D Printed Furniture: Did you know that the 2020 Olympic podiums were 3D printed from local plastic waste? 3D printed furniture made from locally sourced plastic scrap started as an initiative to repurpose plastic waste and create awareness about plastic recycling. However, an increasing number of successful projects – beach furniture in Greece, public benches in Amsterdam, designer collections in Belgium – have made this initiative a trend that transforms public places while bringing us an inch closer to the goal of a plastic circular economy.
- Art Installations: Art is among the most powerful mediums to create awareness. Artists from around the world are increasingly using plastic scrap to create artworks and installations to draw attention to the pressing challenges of pollution. For instance, Brazilian artist Eduardo Srur reproduces famous works of art using recycled shreds of plastic scrap. Nigerian visual artist Adeyemi Emmanuel uses plastic waste and other recyclable scraps to create installations and has an accessory line. Daniel Webb from the UK is known for his massive mural made from plastic collected over a year.
- Eco-friendly Bricks: Two companies have become among the first in the world to recycle plastic waste into bricks that are stronger than concrete. At Ecobricks, empty plastic bottles get filled with clean, dried, and single-use plastics to create resistant bricks used to build tables, beds, or stages – it’s a practice followed by several civic bodies to fortify or upgrade community spaces. Nairobi-based Gjenge Makers recycles plastic waste into bricks used as affordable alternative construction materials.
- Plastic roads: Some global companies are in the process of (or have accomplished) paving long stretches of roads with asphalt containing plastic waste. Pioneering company MacRebur based in the United Kingdom has already used this concoction to upgrade roads in several areas of London and parts of the country. How does it work? Streets are made with a mix of single-use plastic waste, additives, and asphalt to create a material that promises sturdier roads with reduced carbon print and lower asphalt manufacturing costs.
- Refugee Shelters: The socio-political situations in several parts of the world have led to a refugee crisis. An increasing number of displaced migrants are finding themselves in shelters bursting at the edges, struggling to provide sturdy and affordable housing solutions. Researchers in several prominent universities across the world have been working with plastic companies and engineers to address the issue through the use of plastic waste, and the results, so far, have been encouraging. As per reports, each shelter with high insulation can accommodate a single family, and several shingle shelters can be linked to form a larger structure.
