Fortunately, recycling has spread all over the world. So, we have collected some creative and unique recycling projects in our new article.
Because necessity is often the mother of invention…and imagination!
London – Great Britain
In London you can pay your food and drinks with recyclable plastic rubbish. That was the simple but powerful Rubbish Café’s idea in the London district of Covent Garden, where you can use plastic waste as a currency to pay your food and drinks #LetsLiveClean
Milan – Italy
“We need to embrace the design power and recognise the impact it may have. The Ro Plastic Awards brings the design community together to face an important challenge: using plastic waste — before it turns into a polluting material — and promoting plastic reuse and recycling. Ro Plastic is an award for designers, creatives, architects, and aims at raising public awareness about the importance of plastics – if correctly used and disposed.
Uruguay
The aim of the Plasticoin project is to promote plastic recycling in this South American country. The project participants can register online and then deposit their waste at one of the three dedicated collection points. This waste is weighed, and citizens receive a ‘virtual currency’ on their smartphones in return. This currency can be used for discounts on purchases in affiliated shops and restaurants.
Norway
Did you know that Norway is the country with the highest number of recycled plastic bottles? Thanks to the organization “Infinitum”, this Scandinavian country introduced one of the most efficient and environmentally friendly systems that managed, indeed, to recycle 97% of all plastic bottles produced by the system itself. It is based on a lending scheme – if you buy a plastic bottle, you have to pay an additional amount of 12 to 27 euro cents. After using it, you can take the bottle back to the store. Alternatively, you can put it in a bottle vending machine so that you can receive money or vouchers.
Switzerland
Recycling ocean plastic and raising public awareness – now it’s possible thanks to the “Time for Oceans” watch line from the Swiss brand TRIWA. These watches are made from recycled ocean plastic! “With our watches we want to use the watch as a symbol for change”.
Kenya – Africa
From landfills to rooftops in Kenya. Lighter than clay, more resistant and made from plastic waste – these are Eco blocks and tiles’ roof tiles, the Kenyan start-up founded by two environmental scientists – thanks to an idea of the scientist Hope Mwanake from Nairobi. Since its foundation, this company has sold more than 50,000 roof tiles and recycled around 50 tons of plastic waste!
Liechtenstein
In the fourth smallest country in Europe, plastic bottles (PET) are being transformed into stamps! On the 7th of September 2020, a round, self-adhesive stamp was issued – embroidered with a thread made from recycled PET. 7,100 plastic bottles were used to issue 40,000 samples!
Cameroon – Africa
Plastic bottles are becoming environmentally friendly boats for fishermen in Cameroon! These ‘EcoBoats’ are small, light and cheap river boats that are made by recovering plastic bottles. That was the idea of the Cameroonian engineer Ismael Essome Ebone, who thanks to his non-profit association Madiba&Nature is currently providing work in the fields of plastic waste sorting and recovery to dozens of people. The aim of this project is also to raise awareness among the people about waste recycling and reuse, as well as to promote local ecotourism.
Canada
In Saint Mary Bay, Nova Scotia (Canada) a house was built from recycled plastic. More specifically, it was made from panels obtained from the recycling of over 600,000 PET bottles! It is a very efficient, prefabricated building that can actually withstand wind speeds that are greater than 500 km / h; these polyethylene foam sheets also have remarkable thermal insulation properties and protective properties against moisture and mold. They are also very durable and modular. In this way, the construction of simpler buildings can be completed in weeks or even days.
Kenya – Africa
Flipflopi is the world’s first sailboat entirely made from plastic waste and flip-flops collected from beaches and towns on the Kenyan coast. The aim of the project is to raise awareness of the importance of recycling as a fundamental part of a sustainable circular economy, as well as to involve local and global communities. The sailing ship Flipflopi travels around 80 kilometres a day! It is a simple but very important message that can reach the whole world, thus becoming a symbol against marine pollution.
What about you? Do you know any other creative recycling projects? Share them with us!