Projects

Bespoke

We engage in various projects aimed at recycling plastic into new products. These collaborations can be shaped in different ways. Together, we analyse your plastic waste streams and determine which one to use and what product to make. We can also provide the plastic ourselves. Perhaps you have already seen a product in our webshop that would look great in your office? We can also make these products from your own plastic waste.

plastic recycling with 3D-printers project example
Lid of waste bin for HEMA made from recycled plastic

From conceptual design to final product

Would you like to make something using your own waste, but are you still in doubt about the design? Or do you have a design ready, but no idea how to produce this? Anything is possible! 

We start every project by aligning on the design and determining the plastic waste stream. Sometimes, one of these is already very clear but often we still need to make some decisions in this stage. When the design is finalized and we have determined the material, we will make a prototype. We can use this to run some tests and to make sure that the printer settings are optimal. When everyone is happy with the prototype, we can start production!

Are you curious to hear what we can do with your plastic waste?

Remastered – recycling CD’s

The collection Remastered is the result of a collaborative research project with Emmaus De Biltvan der HoevenkliniekThe Good Plastic CompanyCantor, Searious Business and vanPlestik. 

Discarded CD’s are collected at Emmaus thrift stores and taken to Van der Hoevenkliniek. They sort the different waste streams and shred the separated materials. These shredded flakes serve as raw material for the machines of vanPlestik and The Good Plastic Company.

Read more about this project here.

Coffee table made from recycled CDs turned into sheet material and 3D-printed legs
Microscopic piece by Georgie Frankel, scaled up and make from 100% reycled plastic by using a 3D-printer

Georgie Frankel x vanPlestik

With her series Imperceptible, artist Georgie Frankel shows the beauty of the microscopic world. By magnifying microscopic parts, the special shapes that are hidden in everyday objects are revealed. 

For GLUE ‘23, we scaled one of Georgie Frankels pieces even further to create a real eyecather. This object consists of 21 separate parts that are molten together. In this way, the object still exists out of 100% recycled plastic. Like everything we make, this object is recyclable in the future and therefore fully circular.

Fairphone

We sometimes use a client’s waste stream to make products from our own collection. A good example of this is the project we did for Fairphone

Fairphones have a modular design that allows you to easily replace parts when needed. Fairphone wanted to recycle the phone cases that were collected in this way, but no one could process this material because the metal Fairphone letters were glued to the plastic. Luckily we had a solution! 

Our 3D printers are especially designed to be able to work with slightly contaminated plastic waste. We turned the Fairphone cases into these brightly coloured Delta’s and a Lumbar for Fairphone’s office.

If you’d like to learn more about this project, have a look at this video!

Recycled plastic from phone cases
Plantstand made from recycled plastic for De Nederlandsche Bank

De Nederlandsche Bank

When De Nederlandsche Bank moved, they found a lot of old paper trays. DNB wanted to use this waste stream to make a new product for the public spaces of their new office. We used the paper trays to make plant stands that are used to indicate walking routes in the open spaced lobby.

HEMA

Recently, HEMA replaced all make-up displays in their stores. This released more than 2.000 kg of plastic waste. These displays are made from a type of plastic (ABS) that is not currently recycled. By collecting the displays separately, we were able to recycle this waste stream into a valuable new product.

We made 35 recycling stations that are used in HEMA’s headquarters. The bins are made completely from recycled plastic. Our 3D printers allow us to print in relief. We used this technique to add HEMA’s logo to the side of the waste bins. 

In order to distinguish between the different types of bins easily, we coloured the white material with pigment. In this way, we were able to produce the green, red and blue waste bins. This is how we stimulate HEMA’s employees to separate their waste and support better recycling.

Waste separation bins for HEMA, made from recycled plastic from old make-up displays of HEMA. There are four bins for organic waste, coffee cups, plastic and other waste.
Plastic waste collection in Dordrecht

Plastic tree in public space

Do you also create objects that can stay outside? We do!

A good example is this plastic collection tree. This unique and sustainable objects encourages the inhabitants of Dordrecht to separate their plastic waste. Such an encouragement should obviously be made from plastic waste!

Spinoza route

The Spinoza cycling route is a route through Amsterdam, where participants receive information about nature in the city and the relation between people and nature through a podcast. This route is designed by Vrijheid van Amsterdam. During the route our 3D-printed arm rests mark the different stops. In this way, you can find 13 different art rests throughout Amsterdam!

3D-print in public space Amsterdam
Sustainable art pieces made with a 3D-printer

Art pieces for Noor Nuyten

These 3D-printed art pieces are made on request for artist Noor Nuyten. Every piece shows the movement of electrodes on a phone screen when performing a task. Therefore, these sustainable art pieces are made from electronics waste.

Stichting Klean – Plastic Madonna

Artist Peter Smith from Stichting Klean collects plastic litter. In order to raise awareness of the plastic problem, he is working on a large statue of a reclining woman: the Plastic Madonna. 

The artwork will be 12 meters long, 4 meters high and will be printed by vanPlestik. Because it is so big, we will print this in separate pieces that are welded together.

Litter usually consists of a lot of different types of plastic. Our printers can only process one type of plastic at the time. In order to separate the different types of plastic, we received help from a recycler who sorts, shreds and compounds the plastic. This is how we work together in the fight against plastic waste!

3D-printed feet of the Plastic Madonna, the art piece from plastic waste
No CD to Waste - Recycling of CDs

No CD to Waste

In this project we have formed an alliance with several partners to find a valuable new destination for CD waste. The old CDs are collected by several thrift stores from Emmaus, managed by Emmaus de Bilt. Then, The Good Plastic Company and we use these CDs to create a new product. We are currently still designing and testing the product. But it will soom be available via Cantor!

YoYo collection bins

These colourful collection bins are use by YoYo.BoostReuse to collect meal packaging for reuse. In this way, YoYo aims to reduce the packaging waste in every office. And we are clearly happy to contribute to their mission by 3D-printing these shining bins!

Recycled plastic bin for collecting food packaging in offices
Duurzaam kantoormeubilair - koffietafel van gerecycled plastic voor Rabobank Westland

Rabobank Westland

Some clients don’t have a plastic waste stream, but are still looking to make a statement with recycled plastic. Rabobank Westland wanted to add some extra shine to their foyer with a coffee table and two vegetable objects, referring to the region’s main activities.

Therefore we made a coffee table that is inspired by the greenhouses that you see a lot in Westland. The large vegetable objects have a light, so that they glow a little bit and stand out even more. 

For this project, we used plastic packaging waste that we have in stock.

IKEA / INGKA

In the past 3 years, we have done two collaborative research projects for IKEA and INGKA. In the first collaboration we researched the possibilities of customized production with large scale 3D printing. The second collaboration was about opportunities for additive manufacturing, using waste streams from IKEA as a ground material.

IKEA INGKA research project
Circular furniture, made with a 3D-printer

Better Future Factory

We regularly work together with other makers, such as the Better Future Factory. Together, we made a circular interior for the office of a Danish toy manufacturer. These products are partially made from their toys! 

For this collaboration, Better Future Factory made the design and assembled the products. We 3D printed the frames of a.o. the table and stools you see in the photo.

Photo by Better Future Factory

Better future factory / AVR

In collaboration with Better Future Factory, we made a series of products for AVR. AVR is a large waste processing company that focuses on recycling residual (household) waste. We made stools, a high table and a pulpit for them. The stools are extra special, because of the combination of materials that we used. We 3D printed the frame, but the top is made from old jeans. Design studio Planq made this beautiful plate material.

Circular office furniture
The Student Hotel 3D-printed light art

The Student Hotel

We designed and produced two eye-catching objects for the entrance of the new Student Hotel in Delft. These hot-air balloons are made from plastic packaging waste. They even have a light inside so that the balloons glow at night! 

For this project we collaborated with another maker: the black steel frames are made by the Fiction Factory.

 

National Geographic art piece #STOPMETPLASTIC

For this art piece for National Geographic, we 3D-printed the iconic yellow frame. The art piece is designed by Peter Smith of Klean Foundation, who we also collaborate with for the Plastic Madonna. The dolphin itself is made from plastic waste that was collected during a beach clean-up!

This art piece was made for the #STOPMETPLASTIC campaign of National Geographic

Art piece National Geographic #stopmetplastic against plastic waste
Nederlands Film Festival Golden Mountain award

Nederlands Film Festival

The Dutch Film Festival handed out a new award in 2020: The Golden Mountain. This mountain was designed by Noor Nuyten and produced by us. The Golden Mountain is made from old videotape cases and contains actual gold!

Do you want to find out more? Then watch this video about this award.

Brewery De Prael

In collaboration with brewery De Prael, we researched the possibilities of recycling beer kegs. While the kegs should be recyclable, this is rarely done. Luckily, we were able to use our 3D-printers to turn this plastic into sunscreens for De Prael’s terrace!

Recycling beer kegs to sun screens

Get in touch

Did you get curious after seeing all these projects? And are you considering starting your own project?

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