Recirculate Plastic
Recirculate Plastic is a Precious Plastic Estonia project aimed to educate people about plastic pollution problems, recycling options and give hands-on experience in recycling home sourced plastic items into new products.
About the project
Recirculate Plastic is a year-long project that allowed participants to glance into the world of plastic recycling. It provided a chance to better understand what the problem is and what challenges are hiding in it.
The project was based on a series of workshops that cover a range or recycling methods and techniques. Some of these easy and could be done at home, like working with plastic bags and making smaller items i.e. wallets. Other methods require more sophisticated machinery that was provided by Precious Plastic Estonia.
Apart from theoretical knowledge and practical experience, participants also got some of the items, which they made themselves. Part of the workshop outcomes are donated to local schools and partner organisations.
Main topics covered in sessions:
– sustainability
– resource efficiency
– circular economy
– material sourcing
– material preparation
– recycling methods (in household)
– recycling methods (in workspace)
Project stats:
8 educational events
107 participants from
4 countries
Funding
The European Solidarity Corps is a funding programme of the European Union that creates opportunities for young people to volunteer and run their own solidarity projects that benefit communities around Europe.
Funding received through collaboration with Haridus- ja Noorteamet, whom we would like to thank for the provided opportunity.
The programme promotes inclusion and diversity, aims to incorporate green practices in projects and encourages environmentally sustainable and responsible behaviour among participants and participating organisations. It also promotes participation of young people in democratic processes and civic engagement.
For more information about programs please see:
European Solidarity Corps
Haridus- ja Noorteamet
Project introduction
After initial preparation, in April we started the active phase of the project with the Introduction event. Given all the restrictions at the time, it was decided to do an online meeting to introduce the project, the team and the list of planned activities with the timeframe along with expected outcomes.
Participants’ questions and feedback helped us to tailor some of the future events and meetings.
Date & Time: 27/04/2021, 7-9pm
Making wallets
The first workshop of the project was about making wallets and cardholders using everyday plastic. For this purpose we collected some used plastic bags and pieces of packaging.
The creation of the wallets started with material selection and sorting according to the types. Participants had a variety of plastic bag designs and colours to chose from. The bags then were fused together to form a flat sheet to later cut the wallet outline from. Next, the outlines were cut according to the wallet design stencil. Finally, the wallets were completely fused and tested.
Fusing of the plastic bags is a low-tech method suitable for recycling plastic in a household environment. It requires an iron, ironing board, a piece of baking paper and some plastic to fuse. Baking paper allows for plastic to be fused without sticking to the iron.
For the workshop related files please see Project Resources.
Some results of the workshop were shown to the public at the Final exhibition.
Date: 27/05/2021
Place: Lasnamäe Noortekeskus
Making earrings
Second workshop of the project was about making jewelry using everyday plastic. For this purpose we collected plastic bottle caps from the soft drink bottles. Materials were provided in a form of pellets – shredded using the machines made by Precious Plastic Estonia team.
A typical earring design, used in this workshop consists of a metal outline or a frame and plastic filling in the middle.
The workshop started with a thorough visual guide of the whole process.
The creation of the earrings started with material and earring shape selection. Next, participants started melting plastic into the frames using the hair straighteners provided. After the final layer of material was added, the earrings were finished by adding hooks.
Melting plastic using a hair straightener is a low-tech method suitable for recycling plastic in a household environment. It requires a hair straightener, a piece of baking paper and some plastic. Baking paper allows for plastic to be fused without sticking to the tool.
Given the ovewhelming amount of registrations for the workshop, we organised two time slots back to back to give more people a chance to participate.
Some results of the workshop were shown at the Final Exhibition.
Date: 29/06/2021
Place: Hektor Container Hotel
Clean walk
The third event of the project was about community involvement. For this event we created a call for participation for the local park clean up.
The meeting took place during a sunny day.
Before the cleaning started, we prepared a short but informative quiz for the participants. The questions there mentioned various aspects of environmental pollution and other useful data. This activity gave participants some topics to discuss in the following clean walk.
For the cleaning we distributed some tools and safety items and split into groups. Each team member had a group of participants, who raised a lot of questions about environmental issues, activities done during the project and etc..
We would like to thank Lasnamäe linnaosavalitsus for providing us with a tent for this activity.
At the end of the event we managed to cover the area shown in the image enclosed.
Date: 29/07/2021
Place: Pae Park
Making wall clocks
The third practical workshop of the project was about making wall clocks. For this purpose we collected plastic bottle caps from the soft drink bottles. Materials were provided in a form of pellets – shredded using the machines made by Precious Plastic Estonia team.
The process starts with material type and colour selection. To make a flat face plate of a clock, plastic is placed and melted between two metal plates. When the clock is fully molten, it is placed into a press for cooling down.
This recycling method requires some special machinery and cannot be done at home. Apart from the machines, the process requires a proper ventilation and safety equipment to be used.
Some results of the workshop were shown at the Final Exhibition.
After the exhibition the wall clocks were donated to local schools.
Date: 28/08/2021
Place: Precious Plastic Estonia workspace
TalTech Visit
Next step in Recirculate Plastic was about visiting a polymer and textile technology lab in TalTech. Initially planned for the early stages of the project, the visit was postponed to second half of the year due to event regulations and restrictions at the time.
The workshop consisted of two parts. In the first part participants, who were mostly school pupils were introduced to the methods and equipment present in the laboratory and did some practical tests where they had to identify the types of plastic material. The second part of the visit was more theoretical with a presentation about history of polymers, current problems and future of bioplastics.
Presentation was done by Prof. Andres Krumme
Injection Moulding
In the final practical event of the project we explored injection moulding method.
In this method plastic material, which has been prepared for recycling, is heated in a closed chamber and injected into a cavity or a mould. This method allows to make small plastic items with great details. With quick injection cycles this technique allows many injection attempts in a short amount of time.
The participants were split into groups according to the time slots available. The masterclass started with important information regarding safety in working with plastics. The workshop then focused on recycling insights and the process guide.
This recycling method requires some special machinery and cannot be done at home. Apart from the machines, the process requires a proper ventilation and safety equipment to be used.
Photo credits: Jēkabs Ozols
The product of the workshop – a cardholder with a rubber band to hold the bank or ID cards.
Some results of the workshop were shown at the Final Exhibition.
Date: 31/10/2021
Place: Precious Plastic Estonia workspace
Project Exhibition
Project Recirculate Plastic is now officially over and the final event was the final exhibition. The main idea of the exhibition was to showcase the things made during the project, present the objectives and meet the team organising the project. During the event, we presented Precious Plastic movement, introduced the main methods of Precious Plastic Estonia.
Date: 28-30/01/2022
Place: BOTIK BAR, Tallinn
Project resources
Over the course of the project, participants tried their hands on different recycling methods. While most of these methods are easy to grasp and follow in the workspace environment, some of them cannot be done without specialized equipment & safety precautions. In the project resources we added a guide for making wallet out of regular everyday plastic bags at home using simple tools. Other project related info is available at request.
