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Industrial Designer Figures Out How to Recycle Plastic Into Stone-Like Sheets

Design Declassified's materials are targeted at furniture designers

By Rain Noe - October 25

in Materials | Sustainability

On a trip to Bali in 2018, Industrial Design student Jared Seifert and Interior Design student Lauren Copping witnessed locals attempting to repurpose waste plastic. When the duo returned to their studies at Ferris State University's Kendall College of Art and Design, they decided to do the same. The two started a company, Design Declassified, that turns post-consumer and industrial waste into recycled plastic sheets.

Two things are of interest. One is that they figured out how to create the sheets, which are made from 100% recycled plastic, with "No added glue, resin, or color. All plastic waste is reused in manufacturing, along with offcuts. No binders or surface treatments are used, making it a perfect material for the circular economy."

Two is that they've managed to make the material attractive, targeting furniture designers. Most of Design Declassified's sheets, which can be machined used woodworking tools and machinery, resemble marble, stone or terrazzo:

Seifert and Copping have since graduated, and today Design Declassified is a going concern. At present they can produce 21" x 29" sheets in ¼", ½" and ¾" thickness. "We are actively investing," they write, "in machinery to make larger sheets."

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Einar Blixhavn

a month ago

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I don't really see what they have done that is so special, sheets made from recycled plastic have been around for decades. It is the identification, cleaning, and knowledge of the history ( plastic exposed to the sun for years will have degraded, and will not be as strong, low molecular weight does not change by melting it)

Once you have plastic waste that is cleaned, of known quality, and all the same type of plastic, you have raw material, which in itself has monetary value. If anything, it would be more environmentally friendly to use this raw-material to replace Virgin materials. Plastic has a high carbon footprint compared to MDF, which is the material this product is competing against.

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Toby B

a month ago

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https://youtu.be/GEqPjhllYTY?si=1tMVY58pXLTQU2-D
Precious Plastic has been selling a sheet press for years that makes 1.5 meter square panels from scrap plastic, seems like it'd be easier to just use those?

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