A touch of enthusiasm, technical expertise and a systematic approach can transform ordinary plastic waste into modern furniture. This has been demonstrated in practice by the social enterprise ‘Poplavili’ in Stara Lisna, in the Novovolynsk community. At the local workshop, they not only breathe new life into ordinary rubbish, but also donate a portion of their profits to fund educational projects.
This was reported by the online publication “BUG”.
A new life cycle for plastic
The social enterprise “Poplavili” operates out of the “Vitryla Maker Space” STEAM workshop at Lyceum No. 8. Here, plastic waste undergoes a series of additional recycling processes. Instead of decomposing extremely slowly and toxically in a landfill, the waste is washed, sorted by plastic type and colour, and shredded.
Source: bug.org.ua
The young entrepreneurs turn the small plastic fragments into sheets of plastic of various thicknesses using a special thermal press.
Later, these plastic sheets become the key material for making furniture, decorative elements, and other household accessories.
Unique products from waste
The enterprise has recognized the potential in typical trash. Here, plastic caps, containers from household chemicals, and 3D printing waste get a ‘second chance’ to benefit people in practical ways and without harming the environment.
Each item is unique. Due to the technology, it is practically impossible to create products with identical abstract patterns, so all of them are one of a kind.
“People generally throw all this away, but we turn plastic into designer products. Every sheet is special and unique – it’s simply impossible to duplicate one exactly,” said the company’s co-founder Andriy.
Practical nuances
The manufacturers note that pressed plastic is quite convenient to use. This material does not biologically rot, is durable and strong, and hardly fades in the sun. As an added bonus, over time it can be recycled again into a new product.
At “Poplavyly,” there are two main sources of raw materials – purchasing granules of the required color and plastic caps supplied by public organizations and initiatives.
The company plans to encourage schoolchildren to collect caps. Starting from the new school year, they want to launch the initiative “A Cap for a Bench.”
“We want children to collect caps, and we will recycle them and make benches for the schools. In this way, we aim to motivate young people to care for the environment and show that even an ordinary cap can be turned into a useful item,” Andriy said.
The range of the plastic startup
The company has already created furniture for catering establishments, as well as souvenir products for the Novovolynsk City Council. The project team is currently working on product range, designer furniture, and other products with which they can cooperate with large distributors or local designers.
Beneficial interconnection
A second life for plastic waste makes it possible to strengthen local educational initiatives. Overall, “Poplavyly” was created to financially support the public organization “Youth Sails.” In turn, it implements educational projects and develops STEAM spaces.
“The public organization operates mainly on grant funding. However, after the completion of projects, it is necessary to find resources so that they can continue to function. That is why we created a business that will help cover the team's expenses and scale up our educational ideas. Part of the profit from the enterprise will be directed specifically for this purpose,” explained the founder of the organization, Dmytro Hinalyuk.
EcoPolitic reported that in Vinnytsia, 104 condominiums (OSBBs) receive additional resources for building improvements thanks to waste sorting, receiving extra resources for housing arrangements.
