Netherlands-based industrial designer and Design Indaba alumnus, Dave Hakkens is on a lifelong mission to “try to make the world better by making things.” His latest project, Precious Plastic version 2.0, is a collection of DIY recycling machines that allow anyone to transform plastic into useful objects.
The machines can be easily built using basic tools and universal materials. The Precious Plastic package includes open-source instruction videos and blueprints so that anyone and everyone can start recycling plastic from home.
Hakkens designed four modular machines with components that can be easily replaced or repaired. The plastic shredder machine is the most useful because it shreds plastic into size-adjustable flakes, which are required when working with the other three machines.
The extrusion machine can turn plastic flakes into plastic thread, which can be used in 3D printing or in any other creative way. The injection machine heats and melts plastic flakes into moulds – perfect for creating smaller objects. Ideal for making larger objects, the compression machine is an oven-like device that heats plastic and slowly compresses it into a solid form.
The sky is the limit when it comes to what you create with the machines but the website also displays what the team has made as inspiration. Their upcycled designs range from lamps and hats to vases, vessels and spinning tops.