Student-designed machine proposes innovative solution to growing waste crisis — here's how it works

More than 10 years ago, Dave Hakkens, a then-student at the Eindhoven Design Academy, released a free, replicable design for a plastic recycling machine, Euronews reported. This design was made publicly available, which three people then used to recreate the recycling machine that same year, paving the road for the Precious Plastic project.

The Precious Plastic project is an open-source library and toolkit. It offers free plans and building designs for local communities to build plastic recycling machines. Their knowledge library also shares tips and techniques on how to create new products from recycled plastic.

The Precious Plastic project aims to lower the barrier of entry for plastic recycling in many local communities, increasing the likelihood of plastic actually being recycled.

According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, only between 5 to 9% of plastic waste is successfully recycled globally. 22% of plastic waste is mismanaged, avoiding waste management sites, and is collected in uncontrolled dumpsites.

Each year, another 450 million tonnes of virgin plastic are created from raw materials, including crude oil, petroleum, or natural gas. This contributes to about 3% of carbon emissions globally and increases the planet's overall temperature.

Making plastic recycling machines more accessible to local communities can encourage greater plastic recycling rates, reducing the need to source more raw materials for new plastic production.

Curbing plastic waste also protects human health by reducing the risk of microplastic exposure, which are tiny particles of deteriorated plastic that can enter our bodies through food or water.

Fortunately, scientists and companies around the world have been working tirelessly to develop solutions for the global microplastics problem.

Darwin Bioprospecting Excellence, a Spanish biotechnology company, has developed a technology that leverages microorganisms to biodegrade microplastics. Clarify Clinics, another biotech company based in Britain, offers a pricey procedure to remove microplastics from the blood using a proprietary filtration system.

Tackling microplastics is a long but worthy fight. You can do your part to tackle plastic waste at home by using less plastic daily; you don't have to make the transition overnight. Taking small, steady steps towards a plastic-free household can make a big difference in the future of the planet.

Since Hakkens' first release of the plastic recycling machine design in 2014, the original machine has undergone four iterations, and the project now spans over 2,000 registered plastic recycling initiatives across 56 countries, per Euronews.

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