Founded on the hatred of Waste
I came across this open-source plastic recycling initiative back in 2015. Since, I have been thrilled to see the community grow, and the locations start to spread across the world. The fact that Dave Hakkens, the brain behind this operation set it up as open-source sharing every detail is truly amazing. He was not trying to capitalize monetarily on this venture, instead capitalize on the health of our Earth and the difference in can make in communities both nearby and around the world.
Hello 🖐
We are Precious Plastic.
Precious Plastic is a global community of hundreds of people working towards a solution to plastic pollution. Knowledge, tools and techniques are shared online, for free. So everyone can start (yes, you too!).
We are independent, poor but free 🙂
Hundreds of people all over the world contribute to the project with their skills & knowledge, single or monthly donations.
Precious Plastic was started in 2013 by Dave Hakkens and is now at its third iteration (version) counting on dozens of people working on the project, remotely or on site (somewhere below sea level in the Netherlands).
Join the fight against plastic pollution.
This is how it works
Find a space
First step is to find the right place to create your workspace. We teach you how to do it in a container (because it is easy to replicate) but it could be made anywhere depending on what’s convenient for you.
Collect your raw material
Plastic waste is our raw material. Setting up an efficient and recurrent collection system is the first step to run a successful recycling workspace. Learn how to get plastic and set up a system that keeps it coming in. Learn More
Sort different plastics
Different plastic types have to be separated as they have different melting temperatures and properties. An efficient sorting system is crucial to avoid mixing plastic and ruining your process. Setup a system
Shred that plastic!
Bigger plastic objects are chopped into smaller flakes using the shredding machine. Shredded plastic is easier to store, wash, melt, sell and use in the other machines or processes. Build that shredder
Get your paint ready
The shredded plastic should be labeled and stored accordingly to avoid cross contamination and create a material bank for your creations. Try to store your plastic by colours and start using it as your paint! Learn More
Melting time
Once your plastic is ready you can start creating valuable products from plastic waste using our four machines. Each machine is slightly different but work on the same concept: melt, press, cool down. Discover machines
Create products
Through the years we have developed different techniques to create with plastic waste. Products, construction material or art objects- the possibilities are endless. Now it’s your turn to take it to the next level.
Surprise us! Check what you can create
Display & sell
Once your products are ready is time to finish, photograph and display your creations beautifully so you can sell your recycled products to people around the world. Explore our Bazaar
To see the full set of video tutorials and get a more in depth overall look into the organization, please click here. Get involved and lets see how this can change our world for the better!
Thank you for everything you are doing at Precious Plastics, Dave and team! Keep up the good work and I hope to get a couple facilities up in the United States in the next couple years!
Wanna join me? If so, comment below and lets get this thing started. Follow me on Instagram for more about the project and interesting interviews with explorers from around the world!
Morggenfrisk 