WHY ? NOT THE PLASTIC COOKBOOK
CONTENT Introduction
7
About Us
9
About Plastic
11
- What is plastic
13
- Why Plastic
15
- Types of Plastic
17
- Dangers of Plastic
23
- 3Rs Concept
31
The Experiment
39
Product Recipes
49
Templates
71
Conclusion
79
5
WHY NOT? Plastic products surround us in everyday life. We need plastic to eat, work, clean, and perform many more activities at home and other places. Plenty of objects are used several times and live a long and happy life. But a lot is used only once and then thrown away. Why don't we separate this plastic from other types of waste? Why don't we reuse this for other purposes at home? Why don't we recycle at home? Why not...? 'Why Not?' is developed with students and instructors from INDA, International Program in Design and Architecture at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.
7
ABOUT US Not?’, the project, entails a range of processes ‘Why Not?’ to transform plastic objects of single use into products of reuse. Simultaneously, we established a series of workshops at three schools in the Charoenkrung area as an attempt to introduce these processes to children.The tools and skills provided for these processes can be found in every household. Domestic appliances and small hand tools are contained in a set of stations which each facilitate a specific set of operations. As such, recycling is made accessible to consumers of all ages. Whilst minimizing the amount of plastic waste, the home becomes a place of production and creativity.
9
ABOUT PLASTIC
11
?
WHAT IS PLASTIC? As most people may already realise, we use a whole lot of plastic products everyday. Whether it be coffee mugs, laptop, water bottles, a pair of trainers, as far as vehicle spare parts. Traces of plastic are literally everywhere. Plastic is clearly an indispensible part of our society that makes life a great deal easier. But what do we really know about plastic? Plastic is a synthetic material created to replace natural material, dating back around 130 years. To make plastic, natural materials such as coal or crude oil has to undergo a chemical process called polymerization where the material is broken down into smaller groups of compounds that would later make up a material of plastic characteristics.
13
WHAT ARE P LAS T
CONTAINERS
R? SE FO SU IC
40%
30% VEHICLE
20% 10%
CONSTRUCTION
OTHER PRODUCTS
WHY PLASTIC? Since there are so many types of plastic, they’re classified into different categories according to their colour, property; from hard to soft, elasticity, etc. Most plastics can be combined together through heating, this makes it easy to form different shape. The popularity of plastic has exponentionally increased since its creation. This is due to its versatile property, qualifying it as a perfect substitute material for many including steel. Properties of most plastic include lightweight, durable, strong, thermal insulation, waterproof, resistant to chemicals, transparent, and many more. Industrial production involving plastic material is simply easier, plus it costs less money and time. The plastic we use today can be classified into 7 different categories. Today’s technology now make it possible to produce plastic of better quality and evolving characteristics to meet the changing needs of the society.
15
TYPES OF PLASTIC
17
TYPES OF PLASTIC The plastic we use today can be classified into 7 different categories. Today’s technology now make it possible to produce plastic of better quality and evolving characteristics to meet the changing needs of the society.
1
2
3
4
PETE
HDPE
PVC
LDPE
Polyethylne Terephthalate
1
High Density Polyethylene
PET
Polyvinyl Chloride
or
Low Density Polyethylene
5 PP
7
6
Polypropylene
PS
Polystyrene
OTHER
äÁ‹ Á Õ ¡ ÒÃÃÐºØ ª × è Í ¨Óà¾ÒÐ
PETE
Polyethylne Terephthalate Plastic Products :
Plastic Bottles
Soft Drinks Bottles
Danger to health & environment:
MEDIUM HAZARD EFFECT ON LIVER + KIDNEY + CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
Sauce Bottles 18
2
HDPE
High Density Polyethylene Plastic Products :
Milk Gallons
Shampoo Bottles
Danger to health & environment:
LOW HAZARD EFFECT ON HORMONES AND CELLS
Plastic Bags
3
Washing Soap Bottles
PVC
Polyvinyl Chloride Plastic Products :
Chemical Bottles
Toys
Danger to health & environment:
HIGH HAZARD EFFECT ON REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM
Shower Curtain
Table Cloth 19
4
LDPE
Low Density Polyethylene Plastic Products :
Toothpaste Holder
Bread Wrappers
Danger to health & environment:
LOW HAZARD CONTAI NS CARCIN OGEN
Snack Bags
5
Trash Bags
PP
Polypropylene Plastic Products :
Medicine container
Bottle Caps
Danger to health & environment:
LOW HAZARD EFFECT ON LIVER + KIDNEY + CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
Straw 20
Yogurt Cup
6
PS
Polystyrene Plastic Products :
Foam Cup
Foam Plate
Danger to health & environment:
HIGH HAZARD CONTAINS CARCINOGEN + DAMAGE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
Foam Box
7
Egg Tray
OTHER
Non-specified Plastic Products :
Sunglasses
Dairy Bottle
Danger to health & environment:
HIGH HAZARD CONTAINS CARCINOGEN + CAN CAUSE HEART DISEASE + GENETIC DISORDER
Water Canteen
Electronic Devices 21
DANGERS OF PLASTIC
23
PLASTIC POLLUTION PLASTIC WASTE Waste is classified into mainly 4 different categories for easier disposal and recycling: Compostable waste -
Compostable waste makes up 64% of all waste
collected and is the easiest to dispose of all as it decomposes naturally over time. This type of waste can be made into fertilizers, such as food scraps, vegetables, leaves, etc.
Recyclable waste -
The second largest amount of waste is in this
category, including reusable waste such as packages or containers, or left over materials that can be recycled.
Hazardous waste -
Roughly 3% of waste is hazardous waste, meaning
waste that are toxic or contaminated. For example, inflammable substance, toxic substance, chemically contaminated containers that could harm the living organisms and the natural environment.
General waste -
The other 3% of waste is general waste. This type of waste
is non-biodegradable and extremely difficult to recycle such that its not worth the action, for example, plastic wrappers, snacks packaging, dirtied foam.
Plastic waste covers a large percentage of the overall waste, fitting into three of the category with an exception of compostable waste which are biodegradable waste. Plastic takes a long, long time to decompose.
25
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECT There are many advantages in the use of plastic, but there are also harms. Although long lived, the production of plastic utilises natural material that cannot be replaced such as crude oil and coal. And recycling plastic is a highly expensive and complicated process due to the many types of plastic which needs to be separated before it can be turn into anything. As a result, not even one third of plastic waste is recycled, which means a pile of increasing plastic waste taking up space and spreading pollution on earth. And since plastic takes such a long time to decompose, plastic wastes took their time polluting the environment.
27
FUN FACT If we were to compare the amount of
in a year to elephants, we’d need 30 million elephants.
plastic we consumed
And 30 million elephants in a line could go
around the earth 5 times.
28
ECOSYSTEM EFFECT The dangerous thing about plastic is that its non-biodegradable. Whenever we throw away a piece of trash, whether it be paper, food, leaves, or other type of waste into the environment, it will be Bacteria helps decompose whatever trash we throw into the environment, whether it be paper, food, leaves, or other type of waste. If the waste can be decomposed through this process then it’s called biodegradable waste. Other type of waste that bacteria cannot digest is called non-biodegradable waste. This type of waste includes glass, steel, and of course plastic. When plastic is disposed into the earth soil, the temperature of the soil is decreased so far that it disrupts the ecosystem and the growth of plants. When plastic is disposed into a water source, it not only contaminate the water but can also be harmful to the marine life. Animals can easily consume plastic by mistake which can cause them to choke, and the plastic will cannot be digested and will remain inside their body which can eventaully lead to sickness or death.
29
3Rs CONCEPT The principle of 3Rs is a waste reduction hierarchy that defines a set of actions aim to reduce the amount of waste generated in order to improve overall waste management processes and programs. The 3Rs consist of: Reduce Reuse Recycle
31
REDUCE What is Reduce? Reduce is reducing the consumption of plastic in the first place in order to generate less plastic trash. Reducing is the easiest and most effective step of preventing plastic pollution. Reduce process deals with plastic pollution problem at its cause, by creating less amount of waste instead of finding a way to deal with waste thats already created. This can easily be done by a switch from using disposable plastic product that can only be used one time, to refill products or a longer lasting alternative. The core idea of waste reduction is to preserve the environment. It is important that we are aware of how we use the natural environment and try to reduce our consumption as much as possible to avoid generating excess waste. example example; bringing a tote bag along when you go shopping instead of using plastic bags.
33
REUSE What is Reuse? The functional purpose of a plastic object can be defined along the frequency and duration of use. In other words, certain plastic objects are used for multiple years and possible multiple purposes (multiple-use) and other objects are used once for one purpose (single-use). Despite this discrepancy of usage value and its durability, plastics are applied uniformly and universally within the manufacturing industry. Many of the products that lost its purpose still have value. It can be reused and given another purpose without the need for disposal. This means the lifespan of a product is prolonged by giving it a second life.
35
RECYCLE What is Recycling? Recycling is a process of converting waste material that can’t be reused anymore into reusable material. Recycling is a way to conserve energy and natural material, benefitting the overall environment. Recycling methods are based on a range of fundamental principles and can be applied at various scales and numbers. example example; putting plastic bottles into a process that turns it into smaller pieces ready for molding into another material.
37
THE EXPERIMENTS
39
EVERYDAY PLASTIC PRODUCT that can be used as experiment material
Water Bottle
40
Soft Drink Bottle
Plastic Bag
Milk Gallon
Yogurt Cup
Hot Food Bag
Straw
Sanck Bag
Toys
Cleaning Liquid Bottle
Bottle Cap
Trash Bag
Sauce Bottle
Labels
Shampoo Bottle
Dairy Bottle
Chemical Bottles
Table Cloth
Foam Box
Water Canteen
TYPICAL HOUSEHOLD TOOLS domestic electrical appliances
Scissors
Iron
Marker
Ruler
Stapler
Candle
Hair Dryer
Lighter
Plastic Sealer
Juice Compressor
Oven
Toaster
Tracing Paper
Vacuum Cleaner
Cutter
Blender
Glue Gun
Heat Blower
Tape
Hands
41
experiments on
+ + +
PLASTIC BOTTLES
= = =
seperate into 3 parts
half bottle, plastic bottle chord
capped; the bottle curved in
+
= uncapped; bottle distorted
+ = 42
+ curved plastic bottle sheet
+ =
+ Small plastic pieces
+ =
+ different shapes of plastic bottle sheet
+ =
+ flat plastic sheet
43
experiments on
PLASTIC BAGS
+
= strip of plastic bag
+
= twisted, torn plastic bag
+
+ = Plastic Flakes
+ =
+ curved, melted plastic bag strip
44
+ =
+ ironed plastic sheet
+ = + =
+ longer plastic bag strip
+
+
curved plastic bag sheet
45
experiments on
PLASTIC BOTTLE CAP
+
=
+
=
connected bottle cap
plastic bottle cap sheet
+
= plastic bottle cap sheet
+ =
+ plastic bottle cap scraps
46
experiments on
+ + + + = + + + =
Zip
PRODUCT
+
=
+ +
+
plastic box
+
Plastic Bottle Case
template
+ braid
plastic rope 47
PRODUCT RECIPES
49
TOTE BAG
TOOLS
MATERIALS
Ironed Plastic Sheet
Plastic Ribbon
Plastic Flakes
50
X2
Scissors
Tracing Paper
WHY NOT? RECIPE
Iron
X2
Template
Marker
Blender
Ruler
PROCESS 1
4
!!
Draw along the template and cut plastic sheet out
Use the plastic ribbon to form bag straps by inserting them inside the bag
2
5
Fold along half of the cut out sheet
Iron the straps and bag together
Put tracing paper below and above plastic sheets before ironing at all times
WHY NOT? RECIPE
3
6
Iron the plastic sheet along the corners and the red line to form tote shape
Put plastic flakes on the bag, and tracing paper above, then iron them in order to decorate the bag
51
STORAGE BOX
TOOLS
MATERIALS
Ironed Plastic Sheet COLOUR
1
Ironed Plastic Sheet COLOUR
Plastic Flakes
52
2
Scissors
Iron
Tracing Paper
X2
WHY NOT? RECIPE
Template
Marker
Blender
Stapler
PROCESS 1
4
!!
Draw along the template and cut plastic sheet out
If ironing fails to form a box shape, use stapler to hold the box together
2
5
Following the template, fold the plastic sheet for both box and lid
3
Following the template, iron the plastic sheet along the red line for both box and lid
Put plastic flakes on the lid, and tracing paper above, then iron them in order to decorate
Put tracing paper below and above plastic sheets before ironing at all times
WHY NOT? RECIPE
53
PURSE
MATERIALS
Ironed Plastic Sheet
54
Fastener Button
TOOLS
X2
Scissors
Iron
Tracing Paper
X2
WHY NOT? RECIPE
Template
Marker
Ruler
PROCESS 1
4
!!
Draw along the template and cut plastic sheet out
Following the template, fold the cut out plastic sheet to get its form, and iron it to the bag
2
5
Following the template, fold the plastic sheet
3
Following the template, cut the plastic sheet to get the bag flap
Iron fastener buttons to the bag
Put tracing paper below and above plastic sheets before ironing at all times
WHY NOT? RECIPE
55
DINING MAT
MATERIALS
1
Plastic Ribbon COLOUR Plastic Ribbon
TOOLS
2 COLOUR
Iron
Scissors
Marker
56
WHY NOT? RECIPE
Tracing Paper
Ruler
X2
PROCESS 1
4
!!
Cut 25cm out from plastic ribbons, to get 15 ribbons per colour
Iron the weaved ribbons in order to merge
2
5
Lay first colour ribbons horizontally
33
Lay second colour ribbons vertically and weave over and below first colour ribbons, following the template
Trim out the edges equally
Put tracing paper below and above plastic sheets before ironing at all times
WHY NOT? RECIPE
57
HAND FAN
TOOLS
MATERIALS
Bottle Cap
58
X3
Bottle cap scrap
Scissors
Tracing Paper
WHY NOT? RECIPE
Iron
X2
Template
Marker
Cutter
PROCESS 1
Draw the fan template onto tracing paper
2
Arrange bottle cap flakes within the template boundary equally, and put bottle cap on the holder
Bottle Cap Scraps
Bottle Cap
3
6
!!
Apply tracing paper over and iron until all pieces are joined
4
Put a flat, heavy object over while cool down
5
When cooled down, gently peel off both tracing paper
Trim out edges of the fan
Put tracing paper below and above plastic sheets before ironing at all times
WHY NOT? RECIPE
59
PENCIL CASE
MATERIALS
Plastic Bottle
X2
Plastic Ribbon
TOOLS
Scissors
Zip
60
WHY NOT? RECIPE
Glue Gun
PROCESS 1
4
!!
2
Cut both bottles in half (try to make the edge as smooth and straight as possible)
**
Use plastic ribbon to make bottle strap and decoration
Group 2 bottle ends (for another one use 2 heads)
3
Merge 2 end bottles together by zip, attached by glue gun (if zip is too long, cut prior attaching to bottle)
cut bottles can be merged if diameters are equal. The item can be modified for other use such as coin purse
Be careful with glue gun. It may have high temperature
WHY NOT? RECIPE
61
BOOKMARK
MATERIALS
Ironed Plastic Sheet
Small Plastic String
TOOLS Scissors
Plastic Bottle Sheet
62
WHY NOT? RECIPE
Glue Gun
Candle
Template
Marker
PROCESS 1
4
!!
Draw along the template and cut plastic sheet out
Apply heat from candle on the edges to curl the plastic a little
2
5
Slice the plastic sheet in 3 edges, leaving gap from plastic sheet to prevent tearing
Join both pieces by using plastic string
Be careful with candles. It may have high temperature
3
**
Draw a designed pattern and on plastic bottle sheet and cut it out
any pattern is possible, but the shape has to allow for plastic string attachment
63
WHY NOT? RECIPE
WALL HANGER
MATERIALS
TOOLS
Plastic bag strip Plastic bag strip (not ironed) COLOUR (not ironed)
2 COLOUR
1
Plastic bag strip
64(not ironed)
3 COLOUR
Scissors
Suction Cap
WHY NOT? RECIPE
Tape
PROCESS 1
4
Bind 3 plastic strings together and let free the other end
Tie braided rope to suction cap
2
**
Braid 3 plastic strings together until reach its end length
3
Bind 2 ends of the braided rope together and fasten by tape
length of the plastic string can be modified with its use, for example for hanging towel, clothe hanger, bags, etc
65
WHY NOT? RECIPE
SKIPPING ROPE
MATERIALS
TOOLS
Scissors Plastic bag strip Plastic bag strip (not ironed) COLOUR (not ironed) COLOUR
2
1
66
Plastic bag strip (not ironed) COLOUR
3
WHY NOT? RECIPE
Tape
PROCESS 1
4
Bind 3 plastic strings together and let free the other end
Close braided ends with tape to form rope handle
2
**
Braid 3 plastic strings together until reach its end length
3
Bind 2 ends of the braided rope together
Length of the plastic string can be modified according to user’s height. Skipping rope can be modified go use for other purpose.
67
WHY NOT? RECIPE
KEY CHAIN
MATERIALS
TOOLS
Plastic bag strip Plastic bag strip Scissors (not ironed) COLOUR (not ironed) COLOUR
1
Plastic bag strip (not ironed) COLOUR
68
3
2
Key Chain
WHY NOT? RECIPE
Tape
PROCESS 1
4
Bind 3 plastic strings together and let free the other end
Tie end of braided rope to keychain
2
**
Braid 3 plastic strings together until reach its end length
3
Bind 2 ends of the braided rope together and fasten by tape
Length of the plastic string can be modified with its use, and can be used for holding keys, vocabulary sheet, etc.
69
WHY NOT? RECIPE
TEMPLATE
71
:TOTE BAG 24 CM
70 CM
LEGENDS FOLDING LINE CUTTING LINE IRON LINE 72
:STORAGE BOX 50 CM
50 CM
19 CM
19 CM
LEGENDS FOLDING LINE CUTTING LINE IRON LINE 73
:PURSE 22 CM
34 CM
LEGENDS FOLDING LINE CUTTING LINE IRON LINE 74
:HAND FAN 15 CM
19 CM
LEGENDS FOLDING LINE CUTTING LINE IRON LINE
75
:BOOKMARK
3.5 CM
9 CM
LEGENDS FOLDING LINE CUTTING LINE 76
IRON LINE
:DINING MAT
UP
DN
UP
DN
DN
UP
DN
UP
UP
DN
UP
DN
DN
UP
DN
UP
77
CONCLUSION Plastic recycling is an issue closer to home than you’d think. The ‘Why Not?’ Project aims to introduce recycling plastic within the intimate realm of the home and other places part of everyday life. Materials and tools required for these processes are part of the existing range of daily activities and spaces of use. Skills and routines to apply are easily obtained and accessible to a wide range of cognitive and bodily capabilities. So that recycling plastic can become an issue more accessible to the local community. The idea is that everyone can recycle plastic, anywhere, with anything they have. With this cookbook as a basic guide for all to continue exploring the creative side of plastic recycling,
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THE TEAM Ksidij Olarnlarp Kan Vajaranant Chanon Sutharoj Chadaporn Sompolpong Seung A Song Nithit Chompatana Natcha Kikhoontod Norapat Lumdubwong Natthanan Surachartkumthornkul Nattachomporn Supaprutsakul Nichakarn Vichitpunt Napatr Pornvisawaraksakul Dhataroth Chaiwarasilpa Popploy Julpongsathorn Pornnapath Khampiranon Ruchchapa Jaochakarasiri Supavitch Kugasemrat Sita Hirunjit Akarpint Chomphooteep Auraya French Natalia Vera Vigaray Tijn van de Wijdeven
81
SO. . .
:)