Precious Plastic
{{Short description|Open hardware plastic recycling project}}
{{Infobox organization
| name = Precious Plastic
| full_name =
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| logo = Precious_Plastic_logo.png
| logo_size =
| logo_alt = Precious Plastic Logo
| logo_caption =
| image =
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption =
| map =
| map_size =
| map_alt =
| map_caption =
| map2 =
| map2_size =
| map2_alt =
| map2_caption =
| abbreviation =
| nickname =
| pronounce =
| pronounce ref =
| pronounce comment =
| pronounce 2 =
| named_after =
| motto =
| predecessor =
| merged =
| successor =
| formation = {{start date and age|2013}}
| founder = Dave Hakkens
| founding_location =
| extinction =
| merger =
| type =
| tax_id =
| registration_id =
| status =
| purpose =
| professional_title =
| headquarters =
| location = Eindhoven
| location2 =
| additional_location =
| additional_location2 =
| coordinates =
| origins =
| region = Worldwide
| products =
| services =
| methods =
| fields =
| membership =
| membership_year =
| language =
| owner =
| sec_gen =
| leader_title =
| leader_name =
| leader_title2 =
| leader_name2 =
| leader_title3 =
| leader_name3 =
| leader_title4 =
| leader_name4 =
| board_of_directors =
| key_people =
| main_organ =
| ideology =
| flag =
| prayer =
| parent_organization =
| subsidiaries =
| secessions =
| affiliations =
| budget =
| budget_year =
| revenue =
| revenue_year =
| disbursements =
| expenses =
| expenses_year =
| endowment =
| endowment_year =
| staff =
| staff_year =
| volunteers =
| volunteers_year =
| students =
| students_year =
| website = {{URL|preciousplastic.com}}
| remarks =
| formerly =
| footnotes =
| bodystyle =
}}
Precious Plastic is an open hardware plastic recycling project and is a type of open source digital commons project. The project was started in 2013 by Dave Hakkens and is now in its fourth iteration. It relies on a series of machines and tools which grind, melt, and inject recycled plastic, allowing for the creation of new products out of recycled plastic on a small scale.
History
In 2012, Dave Hakkens started working on Precious Plastic as a part of his studies at the Design Academy in Eindhoven. The project was released in 2013 as Version 1.0.
The work on version 2 was started in 2015 and was released in March 2016.{{Cite web|url=https://www.dezeen.com/2016/04/14/dave-hakkens-updates-open-source-precious-plastic-recycling-machines/|title=Dave Hakkens updates Precious Plastics recycling machines|date=2016-04-14|website=Dezeen|language=en|access-date=2020-01-06}} In 2016, Precious Plastic also created a marketplace called Bazar for selling machines and products targeted to DIY designers to recycle plastic.
The team started working on version 3.0 from early 2017 and was launched in October 2017.
In May 2018, Precious Plastic received the Famae award of €300,000 to further develop the project.{{Cite web|url=https://preciousplastic.com/people/version/four.html|title=Precious Plastic Version 4 Team|website=preciousplastic.com|access-date=2020-01-10}} The city of Eindhoven also provided them a big workspace free of charge. In October 2018, Precious Plastic project officially opened its doors at the VDMA building in Eindhoven.{{Cite web|url=https://eindhovennews.com/features/2018/10/precious-plastic/|title=Precious Plastic: from Eindhoven to the World|last=Diana|date=2018-10-09|website=Eindhoven News|language=en-GB|access-date=2020-01-06}} The work on Version 4.0 was started in September 2018.
In 2019 Hakkens and Precious Plastic were involved in disagreement over whether to burn or recycle plastics collected from the oceans.{{Cite web|url=https://www.dezeen.com/2019/08/19/ocean-cleanup-plastic-burning-electricity-news/|title=Plastic collected by The Ocean Cleanup will be burned to generate electricity|date=2019-08-19|website=Dezeen|language=en|access-date=2020-01-06}}
The version 4, which includes business models and starter kits for creating recycling systems, was announced in January 2020.{{Citation|title=Precious Plastic 4 - Fully explained|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thhHoPJ6Y14|language=en|access-date=2020-01-10}}{{Cite web|url=https://preciousplastic.com/about/history.html|title=Precious Plastic History|website=preciousplastic.com|access-date=2020-01-10}}
In December 2020, One Army was launched as an umbrella organization for a growing collection of projects including Precious Plastic, Project Kamp, PhoneBloks, Fixing Fashion, and Story Hopper.{{Cite web|title=Say hi to One Army|url=https://onearmy.earth//news/say-hi-to-one-army|access-date=2021-07-05|website=onearmy.earth|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=One Army for the Planet|url=https://onearmy.earth//|access-date=2021-07-05|website=onearmy.earth|language=en}}
Fixing Fashion was launched in March 2021.{{Cite web|title=The problem with fashion in 2021|url=https://onearmy.earth//news/the-problem-with-fashion-in-2021|access-date=2021-07-05|website=onearmy.earth|language=en}}{{Cite news|title=Fashion fixes are revolutionizing popular trends - Times of India|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/fashion/buzz/fashion-fixes-are-revolutionizing-popular-trends/articleshow/83073002.cms|access-date=2021-07-05|website=The Times of India|date=13 June 2021 |language=en}}
Description
File:Precious Plastic carabiner.jpg]]
Precious Plastic is an open hardware plastic recycling project and is a type of open source digital commons project.{{Cite web|url=https://preciousplastic.com/about/open-source|title=Precious Plastic is Open Source|website=preciousplastic.com|access-date=2024-07-30}} It relies on a series of machines and tools which grind, melt, and inject recycled plastic, allowing for the creation of new products out of recycled plastic on a small scale.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZEpnDwAAQBAJ&q=%22precious+plastic%22+hakken|title=Designing for the Circular Economy|last=Charter|first=Martin|date=2018-08-06|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-351-62390-2|pages=31|language=en}} The project allows individual consumers to set up "their own miniature recycling company".{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CqeFDwAAQBAJ&q=%22precious+plastic|title=Plastic Soup: An Atlas of Ocean Pollution|last=Roscam Abbing|first=Michiel |date=2019-04-04|publisher=Island Press|isbn=978-1-64283-009-5|language=en}}
The project is composed of more than 40,000 people{{Cite web|url=http://www.farmweekly.com.au/story/6525111/making-a-difference-one-lid-at-a-time/|title=Making a difference, one lid at a time|last=Sharman|first=Linda|date=2019-12-05|website=Farm Weekly|language=en|access-date=2020-01-06}} in over 400 work spaces, either remotely or on site in the Netherlands.{{Cite web|url=https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2019/03/community-recycling-project-helps-reuse-and-rejuvenate-plastic-waste/|title=Community recycling project helps reuse and rejuvenate plastic waste|last=Lenton|first=Dominic|date=2019-03-12|website=eandt.theiet.org|language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-06}}{{Cite news|url=https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-tech/sustainable/precious-plastic-wants-you-build-your-own-plastics-recycling-center.htm|title=Precious Plastic Wants You to Build Your Own Plastics Recycling Center|date=2016-05-02|website=HowStuffWorks|language=en|access-date=2020-01-06}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.fastcompany.com/40486883/these-diy-machines-let-anyone-recycle-plastic-into-new-products|title=These DIY Machines Let Anyone Recycle Plastic Into New Products|last=Peters|first=Adele|date=2017-10-30|website=Fast Company|language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-06}} All the information produced by the project such as codes, drawings, and source materials are available for free online under the Creative Commons Attribution - Share Alike International 4.0 license.
Related projects
Precious Plastic Fiji was formed in 2017 as a NGO dedicated to eliminating plastic waste.{{Cite web|url=https://fijisun.com.fj/2019/03/14/precious-plastic-fiji-to-set-up-recycling-hubs-for-plastics/|title=Precious Plastic Fiji To Set-Up Recycling Hubs For Plastics|last=Ilaitia Ravuwai|first=Suva|date=March 14, 2019|website=Fiji Sun|language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-06}}
In 2018 after a workshop in China, a company, Plastplan, grew out of the Precious Plastic project in Iceland to promote an alternative to shipping plastic to Sweden to be burned for electricity.{{Cite web|url=https://grapevine.is/news/2018/09/20/the-precious-plastic-initiative-aims-to-change-an-unhealthy-relationship/|title=The Precious Plastic Initiative Aims To Change An Unhealthy Relationship|date=2018-09-20|website=The Reykjavik Grapevine|language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-06}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.icelandreview.com/news/we-would-like-to-get-rid-of-the-idea-of-single-use-plastic/|title=We would like to get rid of the idea of single-use plastic|date=2019-06-29|website=Iceland Review|language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-06}}
In Hawaii in 2019, Puna Precious Plastic, with more than 1,000 members as a part of the Precious Plastic worldwide movement, collected about 1,000 pounds, which it planned to sort, shred and melt into plastic bricks and lumber for construction.{{Cite web|url=https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2019/11/01/hawaii-news/recycling-groups-projects-cropping-up-as-county-reduces-recycling/|title=Recycling groups, projects, cropping up as county reduces recycling|first=Nancy|last=Cook Lauer|date=2019-11-01|website=Hawaii Tribune-Herald|language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-06}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.westhawaiitoday.com/2020/01/01/hawaii-news/2019-the-year-in-review/|title=2019: The Year in Review|date=2020-01-01|website=West Hawaii Today|language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-06}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2020/01/01/hawaii-news/big-islands-top-10-stories-include-the-standoff-on-maunakea-ongoing-lava-recovery-efforts-recycling-woes/|title=Big Island's top 10 stories include the standoff on Maunakea, ongoing lava recovery efforts, recycling woes|first=John|last=Burnett|date=2020-01-01|website=Hawaii Tribune-Herald|language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-06}}
In Thailand, Precious Plastic Bangkok collects plastic bottle caps to shred, melt, and reshape into new products, including monk's robes.{{Cite news|url=http://www.khaosodenglish.com/featured/2019/05/13/precious-plastic-recycling-bangkok-one-bottle-cap-at-a-time/|title=Precious Plastic: Recycling Bangkok One Bottle Cap At A Time|last1=Thaitrakulpanich|first1=Asaree|date=2019-05-13|website=Khaosod English|language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-06}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.khaosodenglish.com/featured/2019/12/20/6-times-in-2019-thais-and-expats-stood-up-for-the-environment/|title=6 Times in 2019 Thais and Expats Stood Up for the Environment|last1=Thaitrakulpanich|first1=Asaree|date=2019-12-20|website=Khaosod English|language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-06}}
With a grant from Dane County Arts and partnered with Community GroundWorks, the nonprofit that oversees Troy Kids’ Garden, and hackerspace Sector 67, a branch of Precious Plastic was launched in Madison, Wisconsin.{{Cite web|url=https://isthmus.com/api/content/82009548-dfcf-11e9-bff2-12f1225286c6/|title=Just one word: Plastics|last=Krug|first=Erica|date=2019-09-26|website=Isthmus {{!}} Madison, Wisconsin|language=en-us|access-date=2020-01-06}}
In September 2021, One Army announced a "Verified" Precious Plastic workspaces program to give recognition to "high quality recycling work". Many locations around the world were listed.{{Cite web |title=Meet the first Precious Plastic Verified workspaces |url=https://onearmy.earth//news/verified |access-date=2022-07-01 |website=onearmy.earth |language=en}}
University involvement
In 2018, a group called Precious Plastic Texas was formed by students at the University of Texas after learning about what was being done in Thailand.{{Cite web|url=http://www.dailytexanonline.com/2018/10/07/ut-seniors-launching-new-organization-fighting-against-plastic-pollution|title=UT seniors launching new organization, fighting against plastic pollution - The Daily Texan|last=Dong|first=Mengyuan|date=October 7, 2018|website=www.dailytexanonline.com|language=en|access-date=2020-01-06}} In 2019 students in the Environmental Fellows Program's gateway seminar at DePauw University in Indiana began work on a Precious Plastic project, and received funding from the Joseph and Carol Danks Centers Council Fund for Multidisciplinary Projects. The project will continue in a gateway seminar and three art classes, and they may add an off-campus trip to a Precious Plastic site.{{Cite web|url=https://www.depauw.edu/theboulder/details/students-provide-a-local-answer-to-worldwide-plastic-pollution/|title=Students provide a local answer to worldwide plastic pollution|last=Dieter|first=Mary|date=July 23, 2019|website=DePauw University|language=en|access-date=2020-01-06}} In Australia, UNSW business school students, working closely with Precious Plastic, won the 2019 Big Idea competition in the postgraduate category with their start-up idea called Closed Loop – a local-level plastic waste recycling business.{{Cite web|url=https://newsroom.unsw.edu.au/news/business-law/big-idea-public-recycling|title=A big idea for public recycling|last=Lo|first=Dawn|date=2019-12-16|website=UNSW Newsroom|access-date=2020-01-06}} Engineering students at the Monash University chapter created a Precious Plastic one-metre cube portable recycling machine to transport to events for display.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thecourier.com.au/story/5948658/waste-plastic-becomes-a-resource-with-this-portable-recycling-machine/|title=Waste plastic becomes a resource with this portable recycling machine|last=Kirkham|first=Rochelle|date=2019-03-11|website=The Courier|language=en|access-date=2020-01-06}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://preciousplastic.com/ Official website]
- [https://fixing.fashion/ Fixing Fashion]
- [https://www.onearmy.earth/project/phonebloks Phonebloks]
- [https://story-hopper.com/ Story Hopper]
{{Recycling}}
{{Plastics}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Plastic Recycling}}