Precious as a Model For Community-Level of to Resource

Ruth-Ellen L Miller Director of Research and Programs Gaia Living Systems Institute

Abstract Although the media-enhanced concern about the ubiquitous presence of plastic in the global environment has increased exponentially in recent years and some solutions have been offered, few solutions have been implemented in a way that makes a significant impact. The amount of plastic in the waste stream continues to grow as does the quantity of discarded plastic present in the natural environment – causing measurable harm to many life forms. When China’s ban on imported waste plastic was announced in spring of 2018 in the U.S. most Americans were shocked; they had no idea their carefully separated were being shipped overseas and even fewer understood the level of cleanliness needed for effective re-use of plastic waste. In the state of Oregon, most haulers immediately refused to accept any form of plastic, sending it all to the landfills; some accepted only type 1, or only milk bottles, for . Environmentally conscious citizens continued to save their plastic, hoping for a solution. By September of 2018 a few communities in Oregon were able to make agreements with local plastic re-manufacturers to accept large quantities of clean, used, plastic containers, separated into types 2, 4, and 5, with labels removed, which were then collected and transported to transfer stations by volunteers. In the meantime, a group in Holland offered a very different approach. They focused on what individuals could do to re-use plastic materials within their communities and offered free guidelines online for set-up and operation of such programs. By early 2020, over 400 such community and manufacturing centers were established around the world. In Oregon, a one-man operation in Portland, called Precious Plastic USA, began producing small-scale plastic recycling equipment to fit the Dutch guidelines and markets them, primarily to schools, on the preciousplastic.com website. He has produced and sold several hundred pieces of equipment since 2016. The Precious Plastics Florence program was launched in Florence, Oregon in July of 2018 and over 75 people have participated at some level. Information booths were staffed at five community events. Over $7000 dollars were donated by local residents to acquire equipment and pay for insurance and space. A space was opened in fall of 2019, in which a total of 16 people attended six classes on preparing plastics for recycling. Two open houses introduced 32 people to the equipment and its operation. Three people have been certified to use the equipment, with the emphasis on shredding and storing. As of May, 2020, there have been no sales of product, but during the pandemic lockdown a few individuals have been experimenting with techniques.

Keywords: Recycling plastic, community-based plastic recycling, reduction of plastic waste, plastic , plastic as a resource

Introduction – Plastic Waste Management Overview The various forms of plastic provide an effective option for many kinds of packaging, construction, clothing, and storage. Around the world, therefore, production of plastic has grown exponentially since its introduction to the marketplace in the 1920s, measured since 1950.

Figure 1. from The World in Data

Source: www.ourworldindata.org, retrieved May 18, 2020

Only 31% of that production has remained in use1, so plastic waste has increased at almost the same rate over the same period.

Figure 2. Total Production and Disposal of Plastic (1950-2015)

Source: www.ourworldindata.org, retrieved May 18, 2020

This gap between disposal and production has meant that most countries are currently dealing with millions of plastic pieces that have often been simply tossed aside, becoming a ubiquitous unsightly mess and a global issue.

Figure 3. Plastic Waste On A Beach – A Not Uncommon Site, Globally.

Part of the reason for the ubiquitous presence of plastic waste has to do with longtime customs and traditions in rural areas. In India, for example, people have for over a thousand years purchased a hot tea drink called chai from street vendors, served in a small, low-fired clay cup, and upon completing the drink the customer has thrown the cup on a pile, where it dissolved in the next rains and then was reclaimed and re-fired into new cups the following year. Similarly, when they have purchased a meal or a snack, it was provided on, or wrapped in, a leaf. The custom is to leave a little in the leaf and place it on the street for the wandering cows to consume. When western-style customs and regulations led to the replacement of these packaging methods with waxed paper and plastic, the means to dispose of them was not provided, so people continued their custom of throwing or setting their dishes on the street – with the result that plastic litter is everywhere and the cows are now ingesting unhealthy quantities of polymers.2 Where disposal systems are in place, according to the WorldWatch Institute, “between 22 and 43 percent of plastic worldwide is disposed of in landfills, where its resources are wasted, it takes up valuable space, and it blights communities.”3 With these kinds of issues occurring worldwide, research has proliferated on the use of plastics and how to deal with them in countries ranging from Qatar4, Ghana5, and Malaysia6 to Sweden7, Denmark8, and the U.S.9 Across the research, plastic re-use has been found to be the least harmful alternative,10 but the methodology for collection and implementation has been unclear.11 The introduction of plastics recycling programs around the world in 1997 was modeled on previously successful paper and metals recycling programs.12 Plastics, however, are far more complex, with at least 7 different chemical compositions and a vast array of physical forms. Although the data on plastic in the waste stream is usually recorded by its physical form (i.e., containers, film, industrial), the chemical composition is the important distinction in the recycling process, as each composition behaves differently. Currently, 7 types of plastics are recognized, as indicated by the familiar recycling symbol, usually located on the bottom of the container.

Figure 4. Plastic Recycling Symbols

These seven types are: 1 – Terephthalate (PET or PETE or ) 2 – High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) 3 – (PVC) 4 – Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) 5 – (PP) 6 – (PS) 7 – Other (usually some mixture) They have different degrees of hardness, brittleness, different melting temperatures, and different cooling processes. For purposes of recycling, therefore, it’s imperative that these types be separated.

Figure 5. Comparison Of Melted Mixed-Plastic Waste With Properly Separated, Uniform Waste.

Source: Denton Plastics, Portland, Oregon

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. generated 267.8 million tons of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) in 2017 and containers and packaging made up the largest portion, at over 14 million tons.13

Table 1. Plastic in U.S. Municipal Waste (by 000 tons)

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

This category includes bags, sacks and wraps; other packaging; polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles and jars; high-density polyethylene (HDPE) natural bottles; and other containers.14 Because of the differences in handling requirements, sorting these types and compositions became a problem almost immediately. In High-Income Countries (HIC) the cost of labor disincentivized these recycling programs, so cities in those countries began sending the waste to Low-Income Countries (LIC) in Asia, with the majority going to China15. According to Brooks et all in an article in the journal Science Advances: In 2016 alone, about half of all plastic waste intended for recycling (14.1 million MT) was exported by 123 countries, with China taking most of it (7.35 million MT) from 43 different countries . Since it began reporting in 1992, China has imported 106 million MT of plastic waste, making up 45.1% of all cumulative imports. Collectively, China and Hong Kong have imported 72.4% of all plastic waste. However, Hong Kong acts as an entry port into China, with most of the plastic waste imported to Hong Kong (63%) going directly to China as an export in 2016.16 The state of Oregon has been adopting various recycling measures since passing the first Bottle Bill in the U.S.A, in 1971, During those years the population of the state has more than tripled, from 1.1 million to 4.2 million in 2019, and the amount of plastic waste has grown even faster as plastic packaging has become the norm for most residential and commercial consumption. Table 2 shows the amount of plastic in the MSW in 2012.

Table 2. Plastic in the Municipal Solid Waste Stream, Oregon, U.S.A., 2012

Source: Oregon Department of Environmental Quality report “Oregon Plastics Recovery Assessment, 2015”

As Oregon’s plastics manufacturing industry is approximately 40 % the national average on a per-capita basis, there are only four companies in the state of Oregon working with reclaimed plastic.  Agri-plas sorts and processes agricultural containers, films, and twines  Denton Plastics in Portland focuses on polypropylene and polyethylene - processes and densifies film,  Northwest polymers in Mollala buys commercial entities’ plastic - produces a variety of pellets and nerdles for commercial use.  ORPET grinds up bottles returned under the Oregon Bottle Bill, and some residential bottles. As a result, only certain kinds of waste can be recycled and that often must be sold to manufacturers located out of state and out of country. Half a dozen similar companies are located in neighboring states, but historically, the vast majority of Oregon’s reclaimed plastic has been exported through the ports of Portland in Oregon and Seattle or Tacoma in Washington to other countries. [OR] Then, in 2013, China began its “Green Fence Program”, which limited the import of materials that would be harmful to their ecosystems. The new policies were phased in over several years, with the import of plastic waste being halted on December 31, 2017. For the environmentally-conscious residents of the Pacific Northwest of the U.S.A. – the states of Washington and Oregon, and in northern California – this sudden halt came as a shock. Most Americans had no idea their carefully separated plastics were being shipped overseas and even fewer understood the level of cleanliness needed for effective re-use of plastic waste. Most US haulers immediately refused to accept any form of plastic, sending it all to the landfills; some accepted only type 1, or only milk bottles, because they were the only material for which they could find a market.17

Figure 6. Post China-Ban Municipal Recycling Guidelines for Plastic

Source: City of Eugene, Oregon, U.S.A. (2018)

In summer of 2018, concerned citizens who were continuing to separate plastic from their regular garbage and collecting it in their homes, took it upon themselves to find a solution. Some were able to enter into agreements with one or two of the Oregon plastic re-manufacturers to accept large quantities (typically a ton or more per load) of clean, used plastic containers, separated into types 2, 4, and 5, with labels removed. These have been collected by volunteers only once or twice a year in order to get large enough batches meet the minimum quantity required. For example, the Lane County Master Recyclers program, a group of volunteers trained and supported by the Oregon Agricultural Extension Service,18 arranged with Denton Plastics in Portland, over 100 miles (160km) away, to accept a minimum of 2,000lbs (900kg) of clean, label-free, plastic containers, sorted into types 2, 4, and 5. The first such “Plastics Roundup” was scheduled for September 30, 2018. Volunteer Master Recyclers in each community of the county arranged with nonprofits and churches to be collection points and trained collectors to ensure that materials were, in fact, clean, label-free, and sorted. At that first event a 50-foot (15-meter) trailer was loaded with nearly 4.5 tons (4100kg) of clean, label-free, and sorted plastic containers that were collected at sites around the county, driven to a transfer station, and then picked up by the plastics manufacturer. Across a county of 382,000 residents that landfills over 275,000 tons of waste annually, nearly 100 volunteers donated space and time for 3-6 hours at each event, and a dozen volunteers drove their own vehicles to the transfer station to divert approximately 1.6% of the county’s waste from the landfill. The process was repeated approximately every 6 months through April 26, 2020, after which it was deemed inefficient and replaced by a system of individual “community collectors” who were instructed to store the plastic until they had 2 cubic meters (“the size of a washer and dryer, side by side”) and then arrange take it to the transfer station on an appointment basis. In short, volunteer collector-haulers have replaced commercial waste management companies in dealing with plastic recycling, and they are only dealing with a few cubic meters at a time.

Figure 7. Lane County 2020 Plastic Recycling Guidelines

Lane County’s operation is an example of what a population of highly motivated and educated citizens can do when the government infrastructure and economic incentives are inadequate to deal with a problem. With several colleges and the University of Oregon, this county was among the first in the nation to offer recycling services to its residents and is noted for its ecological sustainability efforts. Still, over two years following China’s ban on imported waste, no real solution has been put in place for dealing with the tons of plastic waste produced in the county each year.

Mainstream Approaches Recycling processes for waste plastics are classified into two categories: mechanical recycling and feedstock recycling. In mechanical recycling, which is the bulk of plastics recycling, a range of physical methods convert the used materials into pellets or directly into secondary plastic products. Feedstock recycling involves their transformation into hydrocarbon chemicals.19 What is not recycled is either land-filled or incinerated. Switzerland, Denmark and France, countries with a tradition of using incineration for waste management, currently dispose of 75, 65 and 32 %, respectively, of all their collectable plastic waste through this route. In other countries like Ireland, Greece, or the United Kingdom, less than 8% of the total weight of plastic waste is disposed of through incineration.20 In the U.S., where Americans generate an average of 220 pounds of plastic waste per person each year, the mixture has shifted over the years, but still, as of 2017, the vast majority of plastic waste is land-filled.21

Figure 8. Plastics Waste Management in the U.S.A, 1960 – 2017

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Mechanical recycling starts with shredding or pulverizing the waste into smaller pieces, then heating them to their melting temperatures, usually around 150ºC, followed by injection and re-molding of the recovered polymer. Factories based on this technology are common for the recycling of polyethylene or polypropylene. However, the presence of additives and contaminants, and sometimes the modification of the original polymeric structure during their initial use, mean that such mechanically recycled plastics typically are only used in lower grade applications like the production of plastic bags, padding fibers, and wood or cement substitutes. Sometimes water solutions or selective solvents are used to separate the polymer needed for a particular process.22 Feedstock recycling, which currently absorbs only 1.6% of the plastic waste, involves the transformation of plastic polymers by means of heat or chemical agents to yield hydrocarbon products that may be used in the production of new polymers, refined chemicals, or fuels.23 Several technologies use plastic as feedstock, including:24  Pyrolysis - a high temperature (350 - 800°C) low-oxygen processes that breaks plastics down to short-chain hydrocarbons without burning them  Gasification - operates at a higher temperature range than pyrolysis, typically 800 - 1200°C, and often includes the introduction of oxygen and steam so that the material fully decomposes into synthesis gas (syngas) with ash or slag byproducts;  Engineered Fuel - Mixed plastics and organic material, such as paper, are processed to a consistent particle size, and then most commonly agglomerated or pressed into uniform pellets or cubes sold as fuel;  Industrial Combustion - combust solid fuels with some type of recovered materials as supplemental fuel sources, includes tire-derived fuel;  Waste-to-Energy - combusting mixed municipal solid waste to produce electricity. Generally, in such operations polyethylene (PET) yields 30 percent compared to polystyrene (PS) at 90 percent, and polypropylene (PP) and low density polyethylene (LDPE), which yield about 70 percent. Poly (PVC) also yields about 30 percent, but PVC also breaks down into hydrochloric acid during the conversion process. Acids can be corrosive to both the conversion system and the combustion systems in which the final product is ultimately used.25 Commercial scale operations of both types – mechanical and feedstock – require the breaking down of individual containers into pellets (or “nerdles”) or shreds to be used in their equipment, and they both release significant quantities of toxic fumes and often chemical waste in their processes that must be dealt with.26 Because of the high energy costs in converting crude oil into the various forms of plastic, and because most plastics can be reheated and re-formed, it seems reasonable to seek a way to use it over again, until it’s so degraded that gasifying or pyrolizing is the best way to deal with it.

The Precious Plastic Approach In 2014 David Hakkens, of Eindhoven, Holland, used crowdsourcing and grants to develop a different approach, based on the idea of waste plastic as a resource.27 He encouraged small-scale businesses working with local community-generated waste to create products to be marketed both locally and online. He promoted his idea globally, using the internet to reach out to people at every level of society in every nation. By early 2020, 80,000 people in over 1000 community groups had joined the project, around the world, creating about 400 plastic recycling and manufacturing centers.28 The program is based on small-scale equipment that can be built from local materials, including parts of old washing machines, refrigerators, etc. in rural areas or LICs. The blueprints and manuals for all of them can be downloaded for free. The website that Hakkens and his colleagues developed, at www.preciousplastic.com, also maintains a “bazar” where parts and fully constructed machines may be purchased, as well as products made by participants in the project, who are called “community members.” A map is provided so people can see who is doing what in their area, and regular updates and new ideas are offered through the website, as well as on Facebook and Youtube. As a result there is a constant flow of information and a continuing developmental process within the Precious Plastic domain.

Figure 9. The Precious Plastic Equipment.

Source: www.preciousplastic.com

Hakkens, the designer who created PhoneBloks,29 designed and built the equipment and the website. He enlisted “fans” and “followers” from his internet activities to test product designs, and to make the videos which he used for outreach on YouTube and FaceBook.30 His goal was to reframe peoples’ perception of plastic from waste to resource, and to help people set up and operate independent craft businesses. The website also offers guidelines on how to produce products like those in Figure 10, below.

Figure 10. Products Presented In Early Precious Plastic Promotions With Guidelines for Manufacture.

Source: www.preciousplastic.com

Comments and questions posted on the site, as well as pictures of facilities that have been created, indicate that there are many successes with the approach, as well as many issues that emerge in implementation. As a result of this input from the community, Hakkens has modified his original recommendation to encourage people to start with one or two pieces of equipment and develop their skills with those, before adding more processing options. The shredder is pretty much mandatory, as the plastic containers must be made to a small, lightweight, uniform size to work in the other machines. He suggests that some shops might specialize in shredding the material and making it available to other users. With a shredder in place, though, a shop might add an injector to push molten plastic into steel molds, an extruder to create long strings of plastic that can be woven, cut into nerdles, or wound around objects, (or, with larger nozzles, even small plastic beams), a compression oven to melt and press the shreds into bowl shapes, or a flat-sheet press. Each of these machines can be adapted to work with several of the different polymers that are in the waste stream.31 No data has been made available as yet on the amount of plastic removed from the waste stream by these operations, but it’s apparent from videos demonstrating the production of new items for sale that the Holland shop has transformed, at the least, several thousand cubic meters of waste into products. The products for sale on the “Bazar” pages suggest a similar level of transformation across the worldwide community.

Precious Plastic in Oregon A number of Oregonians have become involved with the Dutch program, one man in Portland becoming a producer and distributor of their equipment, students in a number of schools around the state collecting and finding uses for waste plastic, and a group in Florence setting up a space according to the Dutch guidelines. It’s beyond the scope of this paper to explore what the students are doing in schools, except to note that both the Portland and Florence operation have worked with or provided materials to teachers and school systems.

Precious Plastic USA, Portland, Oregon The community context The Pacific Northwest region of the U.S.A, and particularly the state of Oregon, with 4.2 million people, has long been recognized as a leader in environmental activities. For example, Oregon was the first state in the U.S.A. to adopt a “bottle bill” requiring a deposit on single-use beverage containers as a way to reduce the litter on its roadways. When passed in 1971, bottles made up about 40% of litter, 10.8% in 1973 and around 6% in 1979 and following years. 32 Portland, Oregon, a city with over 620,000 people in 2019 (3 times what it was when the Bottle Bill was introduced), has a reputation for being particularly activist – especially around environmental issues. Several recycling operations were begun by volunteers in Portland during the 1970s, whose members then worked with the City of Portland and METRO, the regional waste management authority, to include recycling as part of the local waste management plan and licensing processes.

The operation So it’s not too surprising that the one of the first companies to join the Precious Plastic online community was a small manufacturer (also vegetable-base fuel and tire sales company) located in a small workshop in a reconditioned warehouse in North Portland. Precious Plastic USA is a one-man operation turning out high quality versions of the equipment presented on the Precious Plastic website, using all new materials. As published on his website, his mission and background are: Precious Plastic-USA is inspired by the work of Dave Hakkens and dedicated to building and refining small scale plastic recycling machines in support of the efforts of the P.P. Community here in North America. Machines are built in Portland OR, based on modular open source designs to facilitate modification and design evolution. Founder, Justin Carven has a degree in Appropriate Technology/ Mechanical Design from Hampshire College and began perusing sustainability and renewable energy initiatives in 1998. Precious Plastics USA is a division of Greasecar Vegetable Fuel Systems LLC, developing and producing socially and environmentally responsible products since 2000. A portion of all profits are donated to the Precious Plastic Global Community to support research and education initiatives.33 Carven’s primary customers are schools and he has produced several hundred shredders and extruders since 2017.34

Figure 11. Precious Plastic USA Shredder (with cord unplugged for safety)

Source: PreciousPlastics Florence.

Figure 12. Precious Plastic USA Extruder

Source: PreciousPlastics Florence. According to the owner, product demand continues to grow: …last year I produced and delivered about 75 complete machines (48% shredders, the balance made up of the other 3 machine types) along with dozens of molds and sub- assemblies for those building their own machines. Despite the current difficulties with the economy, so far this year I am on track for 20-30% growth over last year…35

Precious Plastics Florence

Florence – the community Florence, Oregon is a coastal town with about 8,000 residents in Lane County, Oregon. Surrounded on 3 sides by State and National Parks and forests, the town is situated near the mouth of the Siuslaw river, about a mile from the Pacific Ocean. Florence is a tourist destination serving both the urban residents of the Eugene area and an international tourist interest in the Oregon Coast. Over the past 2 decades Florence has become a retirement community, with over half of its residents 60 years and older, many of whom are active volunteers, supporting the arts and community services. Semi-annual beach clean-ups are one of the more visible activities in the community, collecting several tons a year of solid waste from nearby ocean beaches.

Formation of the project In February of 2018 a group of 60 residents viewed the methods and equipment being suggested on the Precious Plastic website ( www.preciousplastic.com ) through a series of YouTube videos. The videos were circulated on Facebook and other social media, and were shown in meetings of people who were seeking an alternative to sending their plastic waste to the landfill. People who were interested in doing more met again in March and April of that year, forming teams to address the issue of plastic waste in the community:  Education, including working with schools and writing letters to local officials  Political Action, including local, state and national efforts with governments, retailers, and manufacturers to reduce the amount of plastic coming to town  Creation of a facility according to the preciousplastic.com guidelines  Administration, including finances, legal status, siting, outreach, and internal communications Each team included between 3 and 7 people. The seven people on the administrative team negotiated with a larger nonprofit corporation, New Choices, Inc. (www.newchoicesoregon.org), to become a project that would one day spin off on its own. At that point, the administrative group became the Steering Committee for the whole operation and a liaison from New Choices joined the committee and created a website explaining the project (www.ppflorence.org). The goal was to set up a demonstration project that would encourage and train people to set up similar operations in communities up and down the Oregon Coast.

Participation & Operation Precious Plastics Florence has been operating as an educational project of a tax-exempt non- profit organization. As of March, 2020, over $7000 dollars have been donated by local residents to acquire equipment and pay for insurance and space. Since its inception over 75 people have participated at some level in the Precious Plastics Florence project, though the pandemic lockdown has curtailed operations since the end of February, 2020. Members in the project participated in the first county-wide Plastics Round Up in September, 2018, and learned several important lessons: 1. It takes hours of organizing effort, plus several volunteers and signs to make it possible for dozens of cars to drive onto a site, have their plastics checked and unloaded, and drive off safely while the plastics are loaded into a transfer vehicle; 2. Most people know nothing about preparing plastics for recycling: over a third of what was brought in was sent back as dirty or with paper labels still attached. 3. Each household had collected during the 9 months following the China Ban an average of 1 cubic foot (30 liters) of types 2, 4, and 5 per month. In May of 2018, a regular participant in the group offered to construct a shredder but was unable to complete the task. As a result, the project was delayed over 6 months before a decision was made to purchase a pre-built shredder from Precious Plastic USA in Portland. That took another 6 weeks, with the result that much momentum was lost between initial start up and actual operation. During that time education, outreach, letter writing and political action continued, but without the focal point of a physical operation. Ongoing communications efforts included:  a regular newsletter to a list of about 400 people who had expressed interest in the project,  postings on FaceBook of local and related activities, and  occasional articles in the local newspaper.36 Another delay was space. A shipping container was made available to house the operation, but there was no place the city would permit it to be sited. As a recycling operation it was considered by Florence officials to fit only light industrial zoning, which, in a tourist-based economy, is very limited. The site needed electricity and water, as well, to operate effectively, plus a way for up to a couple dozen people to enter, leave, and park. After months of searching, the group negotiated some space in a communal crafts facility called the Florence MakerSpace (https://florencemakerspace.com/). The space does not include storage for unprocessed plastic waste, so it is not a collection point or drop-off site for household waste. As a first step in operation, people are invited to bring their own waste and use the equipment to make things. The space was opened in fall of 2019 with a shredder, injector, and small oven. Several people learned how to use these devices on an informal basis. They learned in the process, that it takes:  about 2 hours to shred a cubic meter of plastic containers  ½ liter of shreds to produce a single 2” hexagonal tile  about 1 hour to produce 3 tiles, including set up, preheating the injector and molds, and cleaning the molds

Figure 13. Hexagonal tiles from mixed-color shredded plastic containers.

Source; www.preciousplastic.com

An extruder was acquired at the end of February, 2020, which will be used to produce filament of various dimensions.

Figure 13. Precious Plastics Florence in the Florence Maker Space.

Source: Precious Plastics Florence Steering Committee.

Since occupying the space  6 classes on how to prepare plastics for recycling have been offered, with a total of 16 people attending.  2 open houses introduced 32 people to the equipment and its operation.  4 people have visited from other cities in Oregon to explore how to set up similar programs.  3 people have been certified to use the equipment, with the majority of effort being spent shredding containers that were brought into the space.  1 cubic meter of clean, label-free empty containers that are all of one type can be shredded in the Precious Plastic machine in about 2 hours of steady effort, resulting in about 4 liters of shreds.

Current status and future plans The Steering committee that began setting up the operation had 3 active members as of March, 2020. New volunteers have signed on but their inclusion is on hold till Oregon’s pandemic lockdown is over. The New Choices liaison remains available to support and advise as requested. Since the pandemic lockdown classes, meetings, and group operations have been suspended. Some of the trained folk have individually brought in their own plastics to sort and shred, and have experimented with the equipment, using a set of hexagonal tile molds from the preciousplastic.com/bazaar site on the injector. As of mid-May, 2020, there have been no sales of product. Approximately 4 cubic meters of plastic waste has been shredded and is being experimented with on the equipment. The plan has been to create hexagonal tiles using the molds on the injector, and to explore creating shapes with line from the extruder. Since there is no cost for the plastic, the prices can be kept relatively low. The hope is to recover the initial investment over a 2-year period and invest in other tools. It’s understood that to do so will require a whole new outreach effort to bring in both volunteers and supplies – effectively starting over, but this time with all the components in place to actually operate as a plastics collection and re-use site.

Summary of Results The Precious Plastic Community The Precious Plastic community was founded in 2014 and is maintained by David Hakkens of Eindhoven, Holland (www.preciousplastic.com), using grants, crowdsourcing, and sales of products to fund the operation. It is centered around a website and videos that have been promoted through FaceBook and YouTube. Worldwide, according to the website and interviews, the community has grown to 400 community-level recycling centers among 1000 operating groups and 80,000 members in 2020. No data has been made available as yet on the amount of plastic removed from the waste stream by these operations, but it’s possible to infer from the number and nature of products offered for sale on the “Bazar” pages of the Precious Plastic website that several hundred cubic meters of waste have been shredded and transformed by Hakkens and the Precious Plastic community members. In Oregon, U.S.A., the Precious Plastic community includes 2 Portland operations, several school groups, and a start-up operation in Florence. In Portland, Precious Plastic PDX, according to its website (preciousplasticpdx.com), is seeking to create a mobile plastic recycling operation, and Precious Plastic USA (preciousplasticusa.com) builds and supplies equipment and parts based on the original Precious Plastic designs. According to the owner, this company produced 75 pieces of equipment in 2019, along with parts and molds, and has orders in place for 20-30% growth in 2020 – assuming no reductions due to the pandemic lockdown.

The Florence, Oregon, Experience In March of 2018, several dozen concerned citizens met to express concern about the announcement of the China Ban on plastic waste imports and in April they responded by creating an organization with 3 main activities:  Write letters to manufacturers, retailers, and legislators, calling for a reduction or elimination of plastic packaging – over 500 letters and postcards have been written and sent by 5 volunteers.  Educate students and teachers, and the larger community, on ways to reduce and recycle plastics – volunteers have set up booths at 5 community events, a website is maintained (www.ppflorence.org), a FaceBook page is updated regularly, a quarterly newsletter has been sent out by email, 3 articles have been written in the local newspaper, and monthly announcements have been provided to local radio stations, providing information.  Build a shop based on the Precious Plastic model that would “upcycle” plastic waste into new products – a space in the Florence MakerSpace now includes 3 of the pieces of equipment recommended by Precious Plastic, plus a small oven, as well as space to teach and ways to store shredded plastic. Over a 2-year period the group has become part of a nonprofit corporation and received sufficient donations to acquire the equipment and pay for space necessary to sort and shred plastic containers and turn those shreds into new products. They are now located in the Florence MakerSpace (https://florencemakerspace.com/), which provides a variety of tools and resources for its members to craft products. Lessons learned along the way:  Florence households produce about 4 liters of recyclable plastic containers (types 2, 4, and 5) per month  A cubic meter of pre-sorted containers can be shredded in 1-2 hours  ½ liter of shredded plastic produces a single 2” heaxagonal tile  3 hexagonal tiles can be produced in 1 hour As of May, 2020, 48 people have attended trainings and introductory sessions and 3 people are “certified” to use the equipment. Eight individuals from five other Oregon cities have visited. Approximately 4 cubic meters of waste has been shredded and no products have been sold. Individuals have been developing skills with the equipment and hope to re-start the operation in late June.

Discussion & Conclusions With the continued increase in production of plastic there’s a real need for ways to remove it from the waste stream. The high energy costs of producing plastic make re-using, rather than pyrolizing or gasifying, waste plastics a preferred alternative. The Oregon Bottle Bill demonstrated the effectiveness of monetizing a waste product into a potential resource. The Precious Plastic approach offers something similar: a way for local people in local communities to see a financial benefit in re-using the material they would normally throw away. With total start-up costs of $7 - 10,000US, including the Precious Plastic machines, some molds, worktables, and shelving, an individual or small company could shred a community’s waste plastic and produce several sell-able products. Alternatively, schools and other educational centers can provide resources for crafts projects with just one or two of the Precious Plastics machines, using materials brought from home or provided by local businesses. The Precious Plastics Florence project was created using the guidelines on www.preciousplastic.com as a way to demonstrate what is possible. Being located on the Oregon Coast with its high tourist traffic means people from all over the world could see the process in action. Being part of the Florence MakerSpace means that artists and craftspeople are able to use the equipment any time of day or night, in combination with the other tools available there. Based on the community’s experience with the Plastics Roundups, Precious Plastics Florence is anticipating receiving slightly less than 1 cubic meter of plastic waste per participating household per year. At 1-2 cubic meters shredded per hour, and 1 hour spent shredding each day, the plastic wastes of 200-300 households could easily supply the resources for a single Precious Plastic operation. At 1 hour to produce 3 items from the injector mold, and 4-6 hours producing items per day, 1-2 dozen items would be completed each day. Assuming little-to-no cost for acquiring the plastic waste, and depending on what other kinds of products are produced and how the products are priced and sold, it should be possible to pay off the initial investment within months. These figures for a single-person operation make the Precious Plastic model do-able for small businesses in neighborhoods and small towns anywhere in the U.S. Clearly, this is the very beginning of a new idea. Developing proficiency in producing products and then marketing them will be the next step for Precious Plastics Florence, and will be part of what the group offers as training to other groups seeking to create a similar operation in their own community. Finally, when the plastic being brought into a Precious Plastic shop is too degraded to be used for products, then it can by gasified or pyrolized back into a form that can be used for fuel. In the meantime the high-value polymers will have served useful lives in multiple forms in the community.

References Afroz, R. Rahman, A. , Mehedi, M. Akhtar, M. & Akhtar, R (2017). The knowledge, awareness, attitude and motivational analysis of plastic waste and household perspective in Malaysia. In Environmental Science and Pollution Research volume 24, 2304–2315 (2017). Aguado, J. Serrano, D.P. and San Miguel, G. (2006). European Trends In The Feedstock Recycling Of Plastic Wastes. In Global NEST Journal Vol 9:1, 12-19. (Feb. 2006). Brooks, A. L. Wang, S. and Jambeck, J. R. (2018).The Chinese import ban and its impact on global plastic waste trade in Science Advances Vol. 4, no. 6, eaat0131 (Jun 2018). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aat0131 Faracaa, G. Martinez-Sanchez, V. Astrupa, T. F. (2019). Environmental life cycle cost assessment: Recycling of hard plastic waste collected at Danish recycling centres. In Resources, Conservation and Recycling Vol 143, 299-309 (Apr 2019). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2019.01.014. Gourmelon, G. (2015). Global Plastic Production Rises, Recycling Lags. In Vital Signs, Global Trends that Shape Our Future, WorldWatch Institute. (Jan 2015). Gwada, B., G. Ogendi, Makindi, S.M., Trott, S. (2019). Composition of plastic waste discarded by households and its management approaches. School of Environment and Natural Resources, 2019. http://ir.mksu.ac.ke/handle/123456780/4158 Hahladakis John N., Mohammed, Hareb, and Aljabri, S.J. (2019). Delineating the plastic waste status in the State of Qatar: Potential opportunities, recovery and recycling routes. In Science of The Total Environment. Vol 653, 25 (Feb. 2019), 294-299. DOI= https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.10.390. Kart, J. (2020) This Open-Source ‘Precious Plastic’ Project Is Changing What Waste Means And How Recycling Is Done. In Forbes magazine online (Feb 12, 2020). https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffkart/2020/02/12/this-open-source-precious-plastic- project-is-changing-what-waste-means-and-how-recycling-is-done/#4a437b62f6e8. Lazarevic D, Aoustin E, Buclet N, Brandt N. (2010).Plastic waste management in the context of a European recycling society: comparing results and uncertainties in a life cycle perspective. Resources, Conservation & Recycling ;55(2):246–59. (Dec 2010) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2010.09.014 Milios, L. Esmailzadeh Davani , A. and Yu, Y. (2018).Sustainability Impact Assessment of Increased Plastic Recycling and Future Pathways of Plastic Waste Management in Sweden. In Recycling 3(3), 33; (2018) https://doi.org/10.3390/recycling3030033 Nawas, A. and Baldwin, L. (2019) “The Plastic Problem” PBS NewsHour Documentary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RDc2opwg0I. (Nov 27, 2019) Oregon Department of Environmental Quality - Materials Management Program, Land Quality Division (2019). 2017 Oregon Material Recovery and Waste Generation Rates Report, Portland, Oregon. March 2019. Oregon Department of Environmental Quality - Reclay StewardEdge consultants (2015). Oregon Plastics Recovery Assessment, Salem, Oregon, Jan 2015. Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (2007). "Fact Sheet: The Expanded Bottle Bill". Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. Archived from the original on 2008-09- 10. Rhodes, M. (2014). An Open Source Plastic-Recycling Machine, From the Inventor of Phonebloks. In Wired magazine online: https://www.wired.com/2014/06/an-open-source- machine-for-recycling-plastic-from-the-inventor-of-phonebloks/ (06.05.14). Rosengren, A.(2019). How Recycling Is Changing in All 50 States. In Waste Dive, 5 June 2019, Sanchez, V. (2019). Taking responsibility for Florence’s with Precious Plastics. In Siuslaw News, Jul 26, 2019. Sevigné-Itoizab, E. Gasolac, C. M. Rieradevallab, J. Gabarrellab, X. (2015). Contribution of plastic waste recovery to greenhouse gas (GHG) savings in Spain In Waste Management Vol 46: 557-567 (Dec 2015). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2015.08.007. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2019). Facts and Figures about Materials, Waste and Recycling - Plastics: Material-Specific Data. https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures- about-materials-waste-and-recycling/plastics-material-specific-data Wenzel, H. Hauschild, M. Alting, L. (1997). Environmental assessment of products. Vol. 1:Methodology, tools and case studies in product development. Hinghamm MA, USA: Kluwer Academic Publishers; 1997.

Citations:

1 Calculated from figures posted on www.ourworldindata.org, retrieved May 18, 2020 2 Personal observation, March-April, 2019. 3 Gourmelon, G. (2015). Global Plastic Production Rises, Recycling Lags. In Vital Signs, Global Trends that Shape Our Future, WorldWatch Institute. (Jan 2015). 4 Hahladakis John N., Mohammed, Hareb, and Aljabri, S.J. (2019). Delineating the plastic waste status in the State of Qatar: Potential opportunities, recovery and recycling routes. In Science of The Total Environment. Vol 653, 25 (Feb. 2019), 294-299. DOI= https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.10.390. 5 Gwada, B., G. Ogendi, Makindi, S.M., Trott, S. (2019). Composition of plastic waste discarded by households and its management approaches. School of Environment and Natural Resources, 2019. http://ir.mksu.ac.ke/handle/123456780/4158 6 Afroz, R. Rahman, A. , Mehedi, M. Akhtar, M. & Akhtar, R (2017). The knowledge, awareness, attitude and motivational analysis of plastic waste and household perspective in Malaysia. In Environmental Science and Pollution Research volume 24, 2304–2315 (2017). 7 Milios, L. Esmailzadeh Davani , A. and Yu, Y. (2018).Sustainability Impact Assessment of Increased Plastic Recycling and Future Pathways of Plastic Waste Management in Sweden. In Recycling 3(3), 33; (2018) https://doi.org/10.3390/recycling3030033 8 Faracaa, G. Martinez-Sanchez, V. Astrupa, T. F. (2019). Environmental life cycle cost assessment: Recycling of hard plastic waste collected at Danish recycling centres. In Resources, Conservation and Recycling Vol 143, 299-309 (Apr 2019). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2019.01.014. 9 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2019). Facts and Figures about Materials, Waste and Recycling - Plastics: Material-Specific Data. https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures- about-materials-waste-and-recycling/plastics-material-specific-data 10 In multiple studies, e.g., Lazarevic D, Aoustin E, Buclet N, Brandt N. (2010).Plastic waste management in the context of a European recycling society: comparing results and uncertainties in a life cycle perspective. In Resources, Conservation & Recycling; 55(2):246–59. (Dec 2010). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2010.09.014 11 Aguado, J. Serrano, D.P. and San Miguel, G. (2006). European Trends In The Feedstock Recycling Of Plastic Wastes. In Global NEST Journal Vol 9:1, 12-19. (Feb. 2006).

12 Wenzel, H. Hauschild, M. Alting, L. (1997). Environmental assessment of products. Vol. 1:Methodology, tools and case studies in product development. Hinghamm MA, USA: Kluwer Academic Publishers; 1997. 13 US Environmental Protection Agency (2019). Facts and Figures about Materials, Waste and Recycling - Plastics: Material-Specific Data. https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures- about-materials-waste-and-recycling/plastics-material-specific-data. 14 Ibid.

15 Brooks, A. L. Wang, S. and Jambeck, J. R. (2018).The Chinese import ban and its impact on global plastic waste trade in Science Advances Vol. 4, no. 6, eaat0131 (Jun 2018). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aat0131 16 Ibid. 17 From author’s interviews with 3 county agencies and 5 haulers, March – October, 2018. 18 Extension Agencies are funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and located in state universities, called “land-grant colleges”. The core is the Agricultural Extension Agent, who works with farmers to provide information that they would not otherwise have access to. The system has been extended to include Energy Extension Agents in some states, and to train volunteers as Master Gardeners and Master Recyclers in each county within the states. 19 Aguado, J. Serrano, D.P. and San Miguel, G. (2006). European Trends In The Feedstock Recycling Of Plastic Wastes. In Global NEST Journal Vol 9:1, 12-19. (Feb. 2006). 20 Ibid. 21 US Environmental Protection Agency (2019). Facts and Figures about Materials, Waste and Recycling - Plastics: Material-Specific Data. https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures- about-materials-waste-and-recycling/plastics-material-specific-data. 22 Ibid. 23 Ibid. 24 Oregon Department of Environmental Quality - Reclay StewardEdge consultants (2015). Oregon Plastics Recovery Assessment, Salem, Oregon, Jan 2015. 25 Aguado, J. Serrano, D.P. and San Miguel, G. (2006). European Trends In The Feedstock Recycling Of Plastic Wastes. In Global NEST Journal Vol 9:1, 12-19. (Feb. 2006).

26 Recorded in several studies. Note particularly, Sevigné-Itoizab, E. Gasolac, C. M. Rieradevallab, J. Gabarrellab, X. (2015). Contribution of plastic waste recovery to greenhouse gas (GHG) savings in Spain In Waste Management Vol 46: 557-567 (Dec 2015). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2015.08.007. 27 Rhodes, M. (2014). An Open Source Plastic-Recycling Machine, From the Inventor of Phonebloks. In Wired magazine online (June 5, 2014). https://www.wired.com/2014/06/an-open-source-machine-for-recycling-plastic-from-the- inventor-of-phonebloks/ 28 Kart, J. (2020) This Open-Source ‘Precious Plastic’ Project Is Changing What Waste Means And How Recycling Is Done. In Forbes magazine online (Feb 12, 2020). https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffkart/2020/02/12/this-open-source-precious-plastic- project-is-changing-what-waste-means-and-how-recycling-is-done/#4a437b62f6e8. 29 Rhodes, M. (2014). An Open Source Plastic-Recycling Machine, From the Inventor of Phonebloks. In Wired magazine online: https://www.wired.com/2014/06/an-open-source- machine-for-recycling-plastic-from-the-inventor-of-phonebloks/ (06.05.14). 30 Ibid.

31 Descriptions of the program are taken from the videos and text on the website: wwwpreciousplastic.com. 32 Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (2007). "Fact Sheet: The Expanded Bottle Bill" (PDF). Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. Archived from the original on 2008-09-10. 33 Precious Plastic USA website “About” page: https://www.preciousplastic-usa.com/about . 34 Personal communication April 27, 2019. 35 Personal communication May 25, 2020. 36 For example: Sanchez, V. (2019). Taking responsibility for Florence’s plastic pollution with Precious Plastics. In Siuslaw News, Jul 26, 2019.

About The Author Ruth-Ellen L. Miller, Ph.D. is the Director of Research and Programs of The Gaia Living Systems Institute (www.gaialivingsystems.org), a small think-tank on the Oregon coast in the U.S focusing on sustainability and consciousness. She holds degrees in anthropology, environmental studies, cybernetics, and the systems sciences, with a focus on futures research and impact assessment. She was a founding member of the Cascade Systems Society and served on the board of the International Society for the Systems Sciences. She has served as the liaison between Precious Plastics Florence and its sponsoring nonprofit organization, New Choices (www.newchoicesoregon.org) since the project’s inception.