Bags made from used scaffolding plastic
Material |
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used polyethylene and polypropylene |
Design |
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Stine Andersen and Sille Højholdt |
Manufacturer |
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Protoypes: Stine Andersen and Sille Højholdt, Denmark |
Year |
|
1996 |
Sustainable
category
Design phase | |
The importance of finding new ways to re-use limited resources cannot be overrated. Plastic is a product based on oil and gas, which are both fossil fuels, found in limited quantities. By reusing plastic as many times as possible, we can use our resources optimally. All plastic can be disposed of by incineration, and in this way provide energy for such things as heating. Polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) emit only water and carbon dioxide during incineration. These plastics, thus, are relatively harmless compared with, to polyvinylchloride (PVC), which can emit different kinds of chlorine compounds, including hydrochloric acid, during incineration. Discarded plastic, used to cover scaffolding, made of transparent polypropylene and polyethylene is used only once, regardless of the degree of wear. Scaffolding companies collect the plastic after use and send it off for incineration. The material is light, yet strong, and comes with hard-plastic reinforcements used to attach it to the scaffolding. In the bags, these reinforcements are used for attaching handles and as parts of closing mechanisms. Handles are made of used safety belts from cars. For aesthetic reasons, the plastic is coloured using disperse dyes. Since this type of dye makes direct contact with the oil-based plastic, no additional chemicals are necessary. The dye bath can be used numerous times, resulting in lighter shades of colour. Alternatively, more dye can be added to the bath, minimising water consumption. The bag can be fixed in shape using hot water or steam. On loan from the designers.
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