Workshop record- Reuse of waste plastics

Today’s workshop is about redesigning and using waste plastic. The aim is to get us thinking about how we can turn some linear products into recycled products that can be maximised rather than just wasted.

As in the example mentioned in my first blog, an organisation has found a home for flip-flops in their best form by collecting some of them made from chemical materials that cannot be recycled and turning them into artefacts, putting them to good use. It also led to the development of local labour and economy.

The redesign of plastics today has the same effect. Although plastics can be recycled, most of them have been tried and tested and their properties are so different from the original properties of the material that they cannot be used as the original functional material. Through the workshop we are opening up ideas on how to improve its value and use.

My work is inspired by elements from my favourite film: the Twilight Zone, Dreamcatcher. The ability to turn things that I would otherwise throw away in my daily life into objects that I love has prompted me to pay more attention to items around me that have the potential to be reused.

My favourite part is heating the plastic sheet with a lighter. The plastic pieces will randomly form special shapes, maybe a bend, maybe a hole, maybe a pile of abstract shapes. Loved the randomly generated surprising effects!