The Plastic Cook Book (en)

WHY ? NOT THE PLASTIC COOKBOOK

CONTENT Introduction

7

About Us

9

About Plastic

11

- What is plastic

13

- Why Plastic

15

- Types of Plastic

17

- Dangers of Plastic

23

- 3Rs Concept

31

The Experiment

39

Product Recipes

49

Templates

71

Conclusion

79

5

WHY NOT? Plastic products surround us in everyday life. We need plastic to eat, work, clean, and perform many more activities at home and other places. Plenty of objects are used several times and live a long and happy life. But a lot is used only once and then thrown away.

Why don't we separate this plastic from other types of waste?

Why don't we reuse this for other purposes at home?

Why don't we recycle at home?

Why not...?

'Why Not?' is developed with students and instructors from INDA, International Program in Design and Architecture at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.

7

ABOUT US Not?’, the project, entails a range of processes ‘Why Not?’ to transform plastic objects of single use into products of reuse. Simultaneously, we established a series of workshops at three schools in the Charoenkrung area as an attempt to introduce these processes to children.The tools and skills provided for these processes can be found in every household. Domestic appliances and small hand tools are contained in a set of stations which each facilitate a specific set of operations. As such, recycling is made accessible to consumers of all ages. Whilst minimizing the amount of plastic waste, the home becomes a place of production and creativity.

9

ABOUT PLASTIC

11

?

WHAT IS PLASTIC? As most people may already realise, we use a whole lot of plastic products everyday. Whether it be coffee mugs, laptop, water bottles, a pair of trainers, as far as vehicle spare parts.

Traces of plastic are literally everywhere. Plastic is clearly an indispensible part of our society that makes life a great deal easier. But what do we really know about plastic?

Plastic is a synthetic material created to replace natural material, dating back around 130 years. To make plastic, natural materials such as coal or crude oil has to undergo a chemical process called polymerization where the material is broken down into smaller groups of compounds that would later make up a material of plastic characteristics.

13

WHAT ARE P LAS T

CONTAINERS

R? SE FO SU IC

40%

30% VEHICLE

20% 10%

CONSTRUCTION

OTHER PRODUCTS

WHY PLASTIC? Since there are so many types of plastic, they’re classified into different categories according to their colour, property; from hard to soft, elasticity, etc. Most plastics can be combined together through heating, this makes it easy to form different shape.

The popularity of plastic has exponentionally increased since its creation. This is due to its versatile property, qualifying it as a perfect substitute material for many including steel. Properties of most plastic include lightweight, durable, strong, thermal insulation, waterproof, resistant to chemicals, transparent, and many more. Industrial production involving plastic material is simply easier, plus it costs less money and time.

The plastic we use today can be classified into 7 different categories. Today’s technology now make it possible to produce plastic of better quality and evolving characteristics to meet the changing needs of the society.

15

TYPES OF PLASTIC

17

TYPES OF PLASTIC The plastic we use today can be classified into 7 different categories.

Today’s technology now make it possible to produce plastic of better quality and evolving characteristics to meet the changing needs of the society.

1

2

3

4

PETE

HDPE

PVC

LDPE

Polyethylne Terephthalate

1

High Density Polyethylene

PET

Polyvinyl Chloride

or

Low Density Polyethylene

5 PP

7

6

Polypropylene

PS

Polystyrene

OTHER

äÁ‹ Á Õ ¡ ÒÃÃÐºØ ª × è Í ¨Óà¾ÒÐ

PETE

Polyethylne Terephthalate Plastic Products :

Plastic Bottles

Soft Drinks Bottles

Danger to health & environment:

MEDIUM HAZARD EFFECT ON LIVER + KIDNEY + CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM

Sauce Bottles 18

2

HDPE

High Density Polyethylene Plastic Products :

Milk Gallons

Shampoo Bottles

Danger to health & environment:

LOW HAZARD EFFECT ON HORMONES AND CELLS

Plastic Bags

3

Washing Soap Bottles

PVC

Polyvinyl Chloride Plastic Products :

Chemical Bottles

Toys

Danger to health & environment:

HIGH HAZARD EFFECT ON REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM

Shower Curtain

Table Cloth 19

4

LDPE

Low Density Polyethylene Plastic Products :

Toothpaste Holder

Bread Wrappers

Danger to health & environment:

LOW HAZARD CONTAI NS CARCIN OGEN

Snack Bags

5

Trash Bags

PP

Polypropylene Plastic Products :

Medicine container

Bottle Caps

Danger to health & environment:

LOW HAZARD EFFECT ON LIVER + KIDNEY + CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM

Straw 20

Yogurt Cup

6

PS

Polystyrene Plastic Products :

Foam Cup

Foam Plate

Danger to health & environment:

HIGH HAZARD CONTAINS CARCINOGEN + DAMAGE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM

Foam Box

7

Egg Tray

OTHER

Non-specified Plastic Products :

Sunglasses

Dairy Bottle

Danger to health & environment:

HIGH HAZARD CONTAINS CARCINOGEN + CAN CAUSE HEART DISEASE + GENETIC DISORDER

Water Canteen

Electronic Devices 21

DANGERS OF PLASTIC

23

PLASTIC POLLUTION PLASTIC WASTE Waste is classified into mainly 4 different categories for easier disposal and recycling: Compostable waste -

Compostable waste makes up 64% of all waste

collected and is the easiest to dispose of all as it decomposes naturally over time. This type of waste can be made into fertilizers, such as food scraps, vegetables, leaves, etc.

Recyclable waste -

The second largest amount of waste is in this

category, including reusable waste such as packages or containers, or left over materials that can be recycled.

Hazardous waste -

Roughly 3% of waste is hazardous waste, meaning

waste that are toxic or contaminated. For example, inflammable substance, toxic substance, chemically contaminated containers that could harm the living organisms and the natural environment.

General waste -

The other 3% of waste is general waste. This type of waste

is non-biodegradable and extremely difficult to recycle such that its not worth the action, for example, plastic wrappers, snacks packaging, dirtied foam.

Plastic waste covers a large percentage of the overall waste, fitting into three of the category with an exception of compostable waste which are biodegradable waste. Plastic takes a long, long time to decompose.

25

ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECT There are many advantages in the use of plastic, but there are also harms. Although long lived, the production of plastic utilises natural material that cannot be replaced such as crude oil and coal. And recycling plastic is a highly expensive and complicated process due to the many types of plastic which needs to be separated before it can be turn into anything. As a result, not even one third of plastic waste is recycled, which means a pile of increasing plastic waste taking up space and spreading pollution on earth.

And since plastic takes such a long time to decompose, plastic wastes took their time polluting the environment.

27

FUN FACT If we were to compare the amount of

in a year to elephants, we’d need 30 million elephants.

plastic we consumed

And 30 million elephants in a line could go

around the earth 5 times.

28

ECOSYSTEM EFFECT The dangerous thing about plastic is that its non-biodegradable.

Whenever we throw away a piece of trash, whether it be paper, food, leaves, or other type of waste into the environment, it will be Bacteria helps decompose whatever trash we throw into the environment, whether it be paper, food, leaves, or other type of waste. If the waste can be decomposed through this process then it’s called biodegradable waste.

Other type of waste that bacteria cannot digest is called non-biodegradable waste. This type of waste includes glass, steel, and of course plastic.

When plastic is disposed into the earth soil, the temperature of the soil is decreased so far that it disrupts the ecosystem and the growth of plants.

When plastic is disposed into a water source, it not only contaminate the water but can also be harmful to the marine life.

Animals can easily consume plastic by mistake which can cause them to choke, and the plastic will cannot be digested and will remain inside their body which can eventaully lead to sickness or death.

29

3Rs CONCEPT The principle of 3Rs is a waste reduction hierarchy that defines a set of actions aim to reduce the amount of waste generated in order to improve overall waste management processes and programs.

The 3Rs consist of: Reduce Reuse Recycle

31

REDUCE What is Reduce?

Reduce is reducing the consumption of plastic in the first place in order to generate less plastic trash. Reducing is the easiest and most effective step of preventing plastic pollution.

Reduce process deals with plastic pollution problem at its cause, by creating less amount of waste instead of finding a way to deal with waste thats already created. This can easily be done by a switch from using disposable plastic product that can only be used one time, to refill products or a longer lasting alternative. The core idea of waste reduction is to preserve the environment. It is important that we are aware of how we use the natural environment and try to reduce our consumption as much as possible to avoid generating excess waste. example example; bringing a tote bag along when you go shopping instead of using plastic bags.

33

REUSE What is Reuse?

The functional purpose of a plastic object can be defined along the frequency and duration of use. In other words, certain plastic objects are used for multiple years and possible multiple purposes (multiple-use) and other objects are used once for one purpose (single-use). Despite this discrepancy of usage value and its durability, plastics are applied uniformly and universally within the manufacturing industry.

Many of the products that lost its purpose still have value. It can be reused and given another purpose without the need for disposal. This means the lifespan of a product is prolonged by giving it a second life.

35

RECYCLE What is Recycling?

Recycling is a process of converting waste material that can’t be reused anymore into reusable material. Recycling is a way to conserve energy and natural material, benefitting the overall environment. Recycling methods are based on a range of fundamental principles and can be applied at various scales and numbers. example example; putting plastic bottles into a process that turns it into smaller pieces ready for molding into another material.

37

THE EXPERIMENTS

39

EVERYDAY PLASTIC PRODUCT that can be used as experiment material

Water Bottle

40

Soft Drink Bottle

Plastic Bag

Milk Gallon

Yogurt Cup

Hot Food Bag

Straw

Sanck Bag

Toys

Cleaning Liquid Bottle

Bottle Cap

Trash Bag

Sauce Bottle

Labels

Shampoo Bottle

Dairy Bottle

Chemical Bottles

Table Cloth

Foam Box

Water Canteen

TYPICAL HOUSEHOLD TOOLS domestic electrical appliances

Scissors

Iron

Marker

Ruler

Stapler

Candle

Hair Dryer

Lighter

Plastic Sealer

Juice Compressor

Oven

Toaster

Tracing Paper

Vacuum Cleaner

Cutter

Blender

Glue Gun

Heat Blower

Tape

Hands

41

experiments on

+ + +

PLASTIC BOTTLES

= = =

seperate into 3 parts

half bottle, plastic bottle chord

capped; the bottle curved in

+

= uncapped; bottle distorted

+ = 42

+ curved plastic bottle sheet

+ =

+ Small plastic pieces

+ =

+ different shapes of plastic bottle sheet

+ =

+ flat plastic sheet

43

experiments on

PLASTIC BAGS

+

= strip of plastic bag

+

= twisted, torn plastic bag

+

+ = Plastic Flakes

+ =

+ curved, melted plastic bag strip

44

+ =

+ ironed plastic sheet

+ = + =

+ longer plastic bag strip

+

+

curved plastic bag sheet

45

experiments on

PLASTIC BOTTLE CAP

+

=

+

=

connected bottle cap

plastic bottle cap sheet

+

= plastic bottle cap sheet

+ =

+ plastic bottle cap scraps

46

experiments on

+ + + + = + + + =

Zip

PRODUCT

+

=

+ +

+

plastic box

+

Plastic Bottle Case

template

+ braid

plastic rope 47

PRODUCT RECIPES

49

TOTE BAG

TOOLS

MATERIALS

Ironed Plastic Sheet

Plastic Ribbon

Plastic Flakes

50

X2

Scissors

Tracing Paper

WHY NOT? RECIPE

Iron

X2

Template

Marker

Blender

Ruler

PROCESS 1

4

!!

Draw along the template and cut plastic sheet out

Use the plastic ribbon to form bag straps by inserting them inside the bag

2

5

Fold along half of the cut out sheet

Iron the straps and bag together

Put tracing paper below and above plastic sheets before ironing at all times

WHY NOT? RECIPE

3

6

Iron the plastic sheet along the corners and the red line to form tote shape

Put plastic flakes on the bag, and tracing paper above, then iron them in order to decorate the bag

51

STORAGE BOX

TOOLS

MATERIALS

Ironed Plastic Sheet COLOUR

1

Ironed Plastic Sheet COLOUR

Plastic Flakes

52

2

Scissors

Iron

Tracing Paper

X2

WHY NOT? RECIPE

Template

Marker

Blender

Stapler

PROCESS 1

4

!!

Draw along the template and cut plastic sheet out

If ironing fails to form a box shape, use stapler to hold the box together

2

5

Following the template, fold the plastic sheet for both box and lid

3

Following the template, iron the plastic sheet along the red line for both box and lid

Put plastic flakes on the lid, and tracing paper above, then iron them in order to decorate

Put tracing paper below and above plastic sheets before ironing at all times

WHY NOT? RECIPE

53

PURSE

MATERIALS

Ironed Plastic Sheet

54

Fastener Button

TOOLS

X2

Scissors

Iron

Tracing Paper

X2

WHY NOT? RECIPE

Template

Marker

Ruler

PROCESS 1

4

!!

Draw along the template and cut plastic sheet out

Following the template, fold the cut out plastic sheet to get its form, and iron it to the bag

2

5

Following the template, fold the plastic sheet

3

Following the template, cut the plastic sheet to get the bag flap

Iron fastener buttons to the bag

Put tracing paper below and above plastic sheets before ironing at all times

WHY NOT? RECIPE

55

DINING MAT

MATERIALS

1

Plastic Ribbon COLOUR Plastic Ribbon

TOOLS

2 COLOUR

Iron

Scissors

Marker

56

WHY NOT? RECIPE

Tracing Paper

Ruler

X2

PROCESS 1

4

!!

Cut 25cm out from plastic ribbons, to get 15 ribbons per colour

Iron the weaved ribbons in order to merge

2

5

Lay first colour ribbons horizontally

33

Lay second colour ribbons vertically and weave over and below first colour ribbons, following the template

Trim out the edges equally

Put tracing paper below and above plastic sheets before ironing at all times

WHY NOT? RECIPE

57

HAND FAN

TOOLS

MATERIALS

Bottle Cap

58

X3

Bottle cap scrap

Scissors

Tracing Paper

WHY NOT? RECIPE

Iron

X2

Template

Marker

Cutter

PROCESS 1

Draw the fan template onto tracing paper

2

Arrange bottle cap flakes within the template boundary equally, and put bottle cap on the holder

Bottle Cap Scraps

Bottle Cap

3

6

!!

Apply tracing paper over and iron until all pieces are joined

4

Put a flat, heavy object over while cool down

5

When cooled down, gently peel off both tracing paper

Trim out edges of the fan

Put tracing paper below and above plastic sheets before ironing at all times

WHY NOT? RECIPE

59

PENCIL CASE

MATERIALS

Plastic Bottle

X2

Plastic Ribbon

TOOLS

Scissors

Zip

60

WHY NOT? RECIPE

Glue Gun

PROCESS 1

4

!!

2

Cut both bottles in half (try to make the edge as smooth and straight as possible)

**

Use plastic ribbon to make bottle strap and decoration

Group 2 bottle ends (for another one use 2 heads)

3

Merge 2 end bottles together by zip, attached by glue gun (if zip is too long, cut prior attaching to bottle)

cut bottles can be merged if diameters are equal. The item can be modified for other use such as coin purse

Be careful with glue gun. It may have high temperature

WHY NOT? RECIPE

61

BOOKMARK

MATERIALS

Ironed Plastic Sheet

Small Plastic String

TOOLS Scissors

Plastic Bottle Sheet

62

WHY NOT? RECIPE

Glue Gun

Candle

Template

Marker

PROCESS 1

4

!!

Draw along the template and cut plastic sheet out

Apply heat from candle on the edges to curl the plastic a little

2

5

Slice the plastic sheet in 3 edges, leaving gap from plastic sheet to prevent tearing

Join both pieces by using plastic string

Be careful with candles.

It may have high temperature

3

**

Draw a designed pattern and on plastic bottle sheet and cut it out

any pattern is possible, but the shape has to allow for plastic string attachment

63

WHY NOT? RECIPE

WALL HANGER

MATERIALS

TOOLS

Plastic bag strip Plastic bag strip (not ironed) COLOUR (not ironed)

2 COLOUR

1

Plastic bag strip

64(not ironed)

3 COLOUR

Scissors

Suction Cap

WHY NOT? RECIPE

Tape

PROCESS 1

4

Bind 3 plastic strings together and let free the other end

Tie braided rope to suction cap

2

**

Braid 3 plastic strings together until reach its end length

3

Bind 2 ends of the braided rope together and fasten by tape

length of the plastic string can be modified with its use, for example for hanging towel, clothe hanger, bags, etc

65

WHY NOT? RECIPE

SKIPPING ROPE

MATERIALS

TOOLS

Scissors Plastic bag strip Plastic bag strip (not ironed) COLOUR (not ironed) COLOUR

2

1

66

Plastic bag strip (not ironed) COLOUR

3

WHY NOT? RECIPE

Tape

PROCESS 1

4

Bind 3 plastic strings together and let free the other end

Close braided ends with tape to form rope handle

2

**

Braid 3 plastic strings together until reach its end length

3

Bind 2 ends of the braided rope together

Length of the plastic string can be modified according to user’s height. Skipping rope can be modified go use for other purpose.

67

WHY NOT? RECIPE

KEY CHAIN

MATERIALS

TOOLS

Plastic bag strip Plastic bag strip Scissors (not ironed) COLOUR (not ironed) COLOUR

1

Plastic bag strip (not ironed) COLOUR

68

3

2

Key Chain

WHY NOT? RECIPE

Tape

PROCESS 1

4

Bind 3 plastic strings together and let free the other end

Tie end of braided rope to keychain

2

**

Braid 3 plastic strings together until reach its end length

3

Bind 2 ends of the braided rope together and fasten by tape

Length of the plastic string can be modified with its use, and can be used for holding keys, vocabulary sheet, etc.

69

WHY NOT? RECIPE

TEMPLATE

71

:TOTE BAG 24 CM

70 CM

LEGENDS FOLDING LINE CUTTING LINE IRON LINE 72

:STORAGE BOX 50 CM

50 CM

19 CM

19 CM

LEGENDS FOLDING LINE CUTTING LINE IRON LINE 73

:PURSE 22 CM

34 CM

LEGENDS FOLDING LINE CUTTING LINE IRON LINE 74

:HAND FAN 15 CM

19 CM

LEGENDS FOLDING LINE CUTTING LINE IRON LINE

75

:BOOKMARK

3.5 CM

9 CM

LEGENDS FOLDING LINE CUTTING LINE 76

IRON LINE

:DINING MAT

UP

DN

UP

DN

DN

UP

DN

UP

UP

DN

UP

DN

DN

UP

DN

UP

77

CONCLUSION Plastic recycling is an issue closer to home than you’d think.

The ‘Why Not?’ Project aims to introduce recycling plastic within the intimate realm of the home and other places part of everyday life. Materials and tools required for these processes are part of the existing range of daily activities and spaces of use.

Skills and routines to apply are easily obtained and accessible to a wide range of cognitive and bodily capabilities. So that recycling plastic can become an issue more accessible to the local community.

The idea is that everyone can recycle plastic, anywhere, with anything they have. With this cookbook as a basic guide for all to continue exploring the creative side of plastic recycling,

79

THE TEAM Ksidij Olarnlarp Kan Vajaranant Chanon Sutharoj Chadaporn Sompolpong Seung A Song Nithit Chompatana Natcha Kikhoontod Norapat Lumdubwong Natthanan Surachartkumthornkul Nattachomporn Supaprutsakul Nichakarn Vichitpunt Napatr Pornvisawaraksakul Dhataroth Chaiwarasilpa Popploy Julpongsathorn Pornnapath Khampiranon Ruchchapa Jaochakarasiri Supavitch Kugasemrat Sita Hirunjit Akarpint Chomphooteep Auraya French Natalia Vera Vigaray Tijn van de Wijdeven

81

SO. . .

:)