Plastic waste everywhere

There is a problem on this planet, getting bigger and bigger, called plastic waste. You can find it around every corner, on the streets, in the bush, in and around rivers, in stomachs of fish and whales, just everywhere. We humans leave lots of waste behind. Some people think of this planet as a place to take good care off and don’t want to leave footprints behind. Some people see it as an inexhaustible source. It is good to find a balance and try to give something back and help this planet to recover. In the end we all leave footprints behind.

Clean up the planet

Our goal with this foundation is to clean up this world, especially plastic and create awareness to keep this planet clean. And we hope you think twice when you want to litter something in nature. Throwing away plastic is mostly done because it doesn’t have any value any more. When you finished your bottle of water, that only cost you a few cents, it becomes waste. Plastic bags, given to you for free are blown away in the wind or left behind on the beach etc.

Different types of plastic

There is a variety of plastic. Hard plastic, soft plastic, flexible, thin etc. Plastics are synthetic materials, which means that they are artificial, or manufactured. Synthesis means that 'something is put together'. Synthetic materials are made of building blocks that are put together in factories. Mixing plastic is very difficult because of the various characteristics. Plastics are synthetic materials derived from organic (carbon-containing) compounds. The most common sources for carbon compounds are oil (petroleum) and natural gas. Plastics consist of polymers (long molecule chains) often mixed with other substances such as coloring agents and softerners. The properties of a particular plastic depend on what the polymer chains look like, how they are bonded to each other, and which additives have been introduced.

Two groups of plastics

There are thermoplastics, which melt when heated and can be remolded easily and thermosets, which can’t melt or be remolded. They crack or charr when heated. Some names of plastics are PET, PE, PP, HDPE, LDPE, PVC, etc.

Making rooftiles

The plan with one of the projects, is to make a useful product out of different types of plastics. Which seems very difficult because of the different characteristics of the plastics. Making rooftiles would be a great opportunity to give and create something that is of great value for many people. We started looking for machines that can make rooftiles out of different kind of plastics. We were happy to find machines that make rooftiles out of mixed plastic, together with sand. With these machines we could use more types of plastic in one product, so it seems a very good possibility.