Plastic waste is very visible around us, and only a fraction of it is currently recycled - even if it could. But can it be recycled without industrial scale machinery?

The answer is yes, and in these workshops we’re going to explore one way to do it using a small plastic injection machine.

The source material was collected locally in the last couple of years, through donations and clean-ups, cleaned, sorted and then recently shredded (thanks to Rags to Riches and their grinding machine).

You are going to feed the injection machine with the granules, to give them a second life. The machine will melt them and you’ll help it to push the molten plastic paste into a mould.

We will be making coasters, phone holders and animal-shaped decorations suitable for keyrings or other creations. If you have any idea or suggestion about things you’d like to make, please get in contact and we’ll consider their feasibility.

Alongside the injection machine, we’ll be also demonstrating the operation of another small machine that can turn plastic bottles into filament for 3-d printers.

The workshops are free to attend, but registration is required as spaces are limited.

There will be two sessions:

1pm to 3pm, book here:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/.../waste-to-wonder-plastic...

3pm to 5pm, book here:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/.../waste-to-wonder-plastic...

The event will take place in the Woodlands Community Outdoor Meeting Space at 66 Ashley St, G3 6HW. The venue is sheltered but still outdoors, so dress accordingly

The workshop is part of Waste to Wonder, a new project aiming to raise awareness about resources that, while non-renewable and therefore valuable, are normally considered and treated as waste, plastic in particular.
The project is done in collaboration with local organisations Plastically and Nopla, and is made possible thanks to the Small Grants for Community-led Sustainability Projects awarded by the University of Glasgow, The Glasgow Centre for Population Health and CIVIS.
The creations will be featured in a final exhibition in February 2023.