Transforming plastic waste into benches and street furniture thanks to 3D printing. Recycling and new technologies shake hands in Thessaloniki, Greece, where the "Print your city" project is underway
Print your city: in Thessaloniki plastic waste becomes street furniture with 3D printing
Transforming plastic waste into benches and street furniture thanks to 3D printing. Recycling and new technologies shake hands in Thessaloniki, Greece, where the “Print your city” project is underway.
Led by The new raw, a Rotterdam-based research and design studio, the project invites citizens to bring their plastic household waste to the laboratory, design their own custom street furniture and 3D print them with the help of a robotic arm and structures that allow recycling directly on site.
In this way, thanks to the laboratory called “Zero waste lab”, not by chance, the study tried to raise public awareness of the importance of plastic recycling by showing them how precious it is to differentiate it. The result was the transformation of public spaces through the reuse of waste.
In addition to transforming waste into furniture, citizens can learn more about the plastic recycling process, the circular economy but also design new furniture elements for their neighborhoods.
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Un post condiviso da The New Raw (@the_new_raw) in data: Dic 18, 2018 at 6:13 PST
“This project explores the possibility of using city plastic waste to build public spaces with robotic 3D printing and citizen engagement. The idea is presented with the temporary installation of a series of 3D printed street furniture made from household plastic waste. The 3D printed street furniture has integrated extra features that promote a healthy and environmentally friendly lifestyle in the city. Each item can hold a bike rack or mini gym, tree pot or even a dog food bowl or bookshelf. Furthermore, the geometries are based on ergonomic curves that allow a relaxed posture of the body ”explain the creators of Print your city.
The first furniture prototypes were printed in summer 2018 and placed in Nea Paralia, the main waterfront promenade in Thessaloniki. Since then, enthusiastic citizens have submitted an additional 3.000 projects via the initiative's website. There you can not only design them but also indicate the preferred position in which to place them and select from several extra functions that promote a healthy lifestyle.
In addition, the first public space was made available in January to house the new furnishings by recycling 4 tons of plastic waste.
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Francesca Mancuso
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