Plastic: from waste to resource

Words are not enough in recycling. We want to actually show you how plastic recycling is not mere fantasy, but an important reality.

Every day we all endeavour to separate our waste for collection correctly; so why not understand what can truly be done by recycling plastic?

Here are some recent projects that have stood out for us.

A real house made of PET bottles.             

The house was built in Saint Mary Bay in Nova Scotia (Canada). It’s a real house made of recycled plastic. This innovative project was undertaken by a construction company, which built the structure using panels made with plastic obtained with the recycling of over 600 thousand PET bottles. The architects paid particular attention to safety and protection: this prefabricated building can in fact withstand winds higher than 500km / h and the polyethylene foam panels, in addition to being adjustable, have remarkable thermal insulation qualities, they prevent humidity and mould, and are decidedly durable. Furthermore, building houses with recycled plastic is a fast process: it can take a few days for simpler structures and a few weeks for more complex ones.

This is a good example of what extraordinary work can be done through the recycling of plastic materials!

Railway sleepers made with recycled plastic

This is an important project supporting sustainability, recycling and efficiency. Making railway sleepers in recycled rubber was possible thanks to Giovanni Maria De Lisi’s start-up Greenrail ™. Greenrail is the result of a technology that combines a rubber mixture of end-of-life tyres and urban waste plastic. The first section for the Reggio Emilia – Sassuolo railway line has already been successfully launched!

Awareness-raising and recycling for children: the EcoBirdy Initiative

This is an example of effective and useful recycling, which has significant added value as it hones in on the youngest generations. It is indeed essential to teach children about recycling and protecting the environment as early as possible, showing them how they can contribute to a more sustainable future.

The EcoBirdy initiative aims to recycle plastic toys to give them a new life. How does it work? Children and parents are encouraged to take their old unused plastic toys to a dedicated receptacle generally kept in schools. The toys are thereafter unpacked and carefully checked in a protected lab to ensure there are no unwanted components, such as batteries and textiles. All recyclable toys are then stored in a large container and transferred to a recycling centre where they are given new life.

Plastic recycling for the community

Many Italian municipalities are redeveloping their green areas because of effective plastic recycling. A worthy example is undoubtedly Monteriggioni (Siena). The town has redeveloped public areas with new furnishings and playgrounds made of recycled plastic acquired through its citizens’ separate collection. Bins, benches, picnic tables and disability friendly structures as well as playgrounds for children and new fences were created. The initiative, instigated by the Tuscan Region through a call for tender, represents a valuable occasion to strengthen the focus on separate collection and recycling and to stimulate the emergent participation of the community.

Plastic recovered from the Po river converted into shelter houses

The project “Il Po d’Amare” arose to turn waste collected from watercourses into tangible aid. It is an example of effective plastic recycling in the name of solidarity. Aimed at the implementation of innovative techniques to catch waste in rivers, it resulted in the production of a prototype shelter-house using some of the plastic waste collected by experimental polyethylene barriers installed in the Po river. Innovative panels were then made and used to build low-cost shelter-houses for those who lost their homes in natural disasters.

Stay tuned; we will tell you all about many more important projects achieved by way of efficient plastic recycling!