Hoops or hooks? Silver or gold? An innovative enterprise developed at Envirohub Bay of Plenty is resulting in the creation of tailored earrings, clocks and pens, and even resources to use for a stop motion animation.
Humans have made a lot of plastic, and much of that becomes waste after a single use. Coming to the rescue, Precious Plastic Tauranga is helping keep this plastic out of landfill, by transforming single use plastic lids into long-life products of value.
Envirohub's bespoke plastic recycling enterprise is based on the global open source Precious Plastic model. Envirohub Bay of Plenty has invested in this start-up to help equip a workshop for shredding and remaking plastic into new products.
As well as buying jewellery, the public have had opportunity to participate in digital storytelling workshops to learn about Precious Plastic Tauranga and the life cycle of single use plastics in NZ, and to make a stop motion animation using salvaged and repurposed materials.
'We are also working with local schools to set up collection points for lids around the community and run an in-class education programme educating on plastic waste,” says Envirohub project coordinator Fiona Lavin.
The Envirohub team of Fiona, CEO Laura Wragg, community coordinator Cathy Donnelly and Sustainable Backyards coordinator Hannah Thain are pleased to see the project gaining momentum and recognition with Precious Plastics Project – Envirohub being named as a finalist in the TECT Sustainable Future Award.
'Kerbside recycling in the region mean good wins for the environment with statistics from Tauranga City Council and Western Bay of Plenty District Council showing huge improvements in what we are sending to and diverting from landfill,” says Cath. 'There's some extra steps you can take with Envirohub by dropping off your clean milk and soda bottle lids for our Precious Plastic project, which allows us to create earrings clocks and pens with the recycled lids. You can also drop off any oral care products such as toothpaste tubes, dental floss containers, old toothbrushes, Nescafé Dulce Gusto pods and wine bottle lids. Every item dropped off with us means it's not going to landfill.”
As 2022 gets going with the Precious Plastic workshops, the team is keen for volunteers to help sort clean lids. Anyone who finds it strangely satisfying to sort Lego is encouraged to get in touch.
'We would love to grow our sorting team so we're ready for increased quantities as schools get back to business,” says Cath.
'Sorting lids into numbers and colours is a big responsibility to ensure the plastic stock is not contaminated. We hugely value our volunteer team.”
Anyone who can help out with two hours weekly is encouraged to contact email Cath at: preciousplastictauranga@gmail.com. Clean plastic lids, with no silicon or metal, can be dropped off to Envirohub, Building 25, Historic Village, 17th Avenue.