At least ever since the birth of alchemy, the dream has always been to be able to turn something worthless and common into something valuable. I’ve been desperately casting about for a recipe for turning used kleenex into gold; alas, no luck so far. However, with the invention of 3D printers and their ability to create things using plastic filament, the idea of trash to treasure is becoming less far fetched.
“Plastic packaging is everywhere and plastic packaging has a major design failure: it is designed to last forever but it is used only for a few seconds and then it is easily thrown away. That is because it follows a linear process from production to use to disposal. This linear process we wish to turn it into a closed loop so that we can actually create new products from waste.”
It could also encourage people to participate in the adaptation of their public spaces to include benches, and pay for those benches simply by sorting their own plastic waste. All of this is part of the concept of circular cities which encourages thinking about ways in which urban environments can close the waste loop in order to be more sustainable citizens of a world with abundant but not infinite resources. This follows on William McDonough’s idea of Cradle-to-Cradle production in which, while resources are finite, there is an infinite loop into which they can be inserted.
It is possible to customize the shape and size of the benches and even to create them with messages or logos printed on them. In this way, the studio hopes to encourage the involvement of businesses in the seating initiative. As a representative of The New Raw explained:
“Cities provide a suitable field for large, long-lasting and easy to trace applications for recycled plastic. In this field, the technology of 3D printing enables closing the material loop of plastic with a short recycling path and a zero waste production process. Furthermore, it can combine modular repair and mass customization, making a more circular city feasible with more engaged citizens and less CO2 emissions.”
It’s not as simple as feeding a grocery bag into a 3D printer; instead the plastic has to be shredded, washed, chemically treated and then extruded, but it’s still a great deal easier than living in a plastic wasteland.
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[Source: New Atlas / Images: The New Raw]