One Blue Eye Zine by ep313873

SEE WASTE DIFFERENTLY

Plastic Recycling

The Facts

Thermoplastics make up 80% of our plastics. These can be recycled and transformed.

Half of all new plastic produced is made into single-use items.

Plastic bottles are used in minutes, but will take hundreds of years to break down.

The other 20% are thermoset plastics. These are used for things like light switches and cookware, and are not usually recyclable.

Each year, 8 million tonnes of plastic is dumped into the sea (Nat Geo, 2024).

1 million birds and over 100,000 sea mammals and turtles die yearly from eating and getting tangled in plastic waste (UK Gov, 2018).

1 in 3 fish caught for human consumption now contains plastic (Surfers Against Sewage, 2024).

At One Blue Eye, we work with your waste plastic to give it value.

We recover plastic waste from:

the ocean

our local community

businesses

After being cleaned, sorted, and processed in our workshop, the plastic is used to produce desirable and useful objects that, in turn, are fully recyclable.

Pop into our shop or check out our website to see some of the things we make.

handplanes and surfing equipment accessories and jewellery

We turn your plastic into: and so much more!

home décor

Workshops

At One Blue Eye, we aim to involve everyone in plastic recycling. Our workshops offer insights into how simple the process is. They are great fun, too!

Whether you want to make a Paniniplane for surfing, create a range of accessories to gift to loved ones, or get creative with some Wasted Art, there is a workshop for everyone.

Community

In addition to recycling onsite in Helston, we bring our pop-up workshops to schools, businesses, and charities to help support and engage our local community.

We have provided numerous recycling bins to help local groups collect plastic waste, and we frequently attend beach-cleaning events to reduce plastic pollution.

Get Involved

Look around your house. Can you find an item for each type of recyclable plastic? Write it down here! (Hint: look for the symbol.)

By making small changes to the way we use plastic, we can have a big impact on the problem of plastic waste.

Try using alternatives to plastic where you can, and if you can’t, reuse as much of your plastic as possible. When it’s come to the end of its use, recycle it, don’t just throw it in the bin.

You could even melt down your own waste plastic at home and turn it into something new! The following pages will show you how to do this simply and, most importantly, safely.

Plastic Basics

The main plastics you can work with at home are: 2 - HDPE and 4 - LDPE

1. Strong, transparentwater bottles, wrapping. Harmful fumes. Avoid.

2. Food/drink containers, milk bottles, bottle caps. Easy to melt/mould. Safe.

3. Fake leather, seals, pipes, vinyl, cable insulation. Dangerous. Do not use.

4. Plastic wrap, sandwich bags, grocery bags. Flimsy but can iron it. Safe.

5. Strong, commonly usedDVD cases, packaging. High melting point. Avoid.

6. Clear, glossy - packing foam, CD cases, cutlery. Harmful fumes. Avoid.

7. Mixed plastic types, hard to know what’s in it. Dangerous. Do not use.

Plastic Safety

Rule 1: DO NOT BURN PLASTIC!

You can melt it, but you must not burn it. Burning plastic releases toxic fumes which can damage your health.

Rule 2: Melt your plastic at the lowest possible temperature for the shortest possible time.

Rule 3: Ventilate the area and wear a mask (an activated carbon filter gas mask is ideal). Wear heat-proof gloves when handling melted plastic.

Rule 4: Thouroughly clean your plastic and remove any labels before melting.

Rule 5: Unless you are a professional, use only the following plastics:

HDPE (2) - softens at 75°c

LDPE (4) - softens 70°c

For more safety information, check out this video by Precious Plastic:

Panini Press

Plastic type: HDPE (2)

e.g. milk bottles and bottle lids

You will need: A panini press or similar Greaseproof paper

Heatproof gloves

Cookie cutter and scissors

Safety info:

Use the low heat setting

HDPE starts to soften at 75°c

Make sure the area is well ventilated

Do not burn the plastic!

You could make: jewellery, keyrings, bowls, coasters and placemats

1. Remove all labels and wash the plastic. Cut it into small pieces if needed.

2. Put the greaseproof paper onto the press and add the plastic. If you are using bottle tops, add them upside down to avoid air bubbles.

3. Fold the paper over the top and close the press.

4. Wait a few minutes until the plastic has melted.

5. Using heatproof gloves, remove the melted plastic. You can fold, twist and re-melt it until you’re happy with the colour mix. Try to avoid air bubbles.

6. Mould the plastic into your desired shape, or press a cookie cutter into the plastic. When cooled, pop out your pieces and trim any excess with scissors.

Iron

Plastic type: LDPE (4)

e.g. plastic shopping bags

You will need:

An iron

Greaseproof paper

Heatproof gloves

Scissors

Safety info:

Use the low heat setting

LDPE starts to soften at 70°c

Make sure the area is well ventilated

Do not burn the plastic!

You could make: reusable bags with your own design, wallets, flags and banners

1. Wash the plastic bags. You can use them whole or cut them into strips.

2. Put the plastic onto the greaseproof paper in your chosen design, then fold the paper over the top.

3. On the lowest heat, iron over the paper until the plastic has melted. Keep the iron moving to spread the heat evenly.

4. Unfold the paper. You can remove the melted plastic with heatproof gloves and fold, twist and re-melt it until you’re happy with the colour mix.

5. Allow the plastic to cool. Remove it from the paper and use scissors to trim off any excess.

6. If you are making a bag, you can fold the sheet of plastic in half and use the iron to melt the edges together.

Creative Corner

Local artist, Liz, created some cyanotypes using bottles, lids, and plastic bags.

Opaque plastic leaves a white silhouette behind, and translucent plastic lets a bit of light through to give a range of blue tones.

1. You can buy pre-coated “sun print” sheets online, but if coating your own paper, brush the cyanotype mixture on and let it dry in the dark.

2. Arrange your plastic on the paper to form a picture. You can put glass on top to stop lightweight plastic bags blowing away.

3. Expose your print in the sun until the green parts turn grey (approx. 5 mins on a sunny day, 30 mins on a cloudy day).

4. Rinse the print under running water until all green has gone and let it dry.

5. Admire your masterpiece! Why not add some details with a gold pen?

Wasted Art

We want to see your plastic art! Whether you join us at a Wasted Art workshop or make your own art at home, we would love to see how you use plastic in a creative way.