Reused steel and aluminium

Textiles Plastic Wood Paper Metal Introduction Steels are the most common metals in use followed by aluminium. Steel manufacturing is energy, water and carbon intensive (accounting for 3% global carbon emissions) and involves a lot of waste and polluting byproducts. However, steel is easily recycled and does not lose strength. Aluminium manufacturing is extremely energy intensive, which is…

Wooden Offcuts

Textiles Plastic Wood Paper Metal Introduction Wood can be an environmentally friendly material that is non-polluting, biodegradable and recyclable at the end of its life. However, it must be from a sustainable source and currently only about 10% of global forests are certified. Further, many products made from wood contain glues, stains, preservatives and paint…

Cable Reels

Textiles Plastic Wood Paper Metal Introduction Cable reels, made of mostly high-grade wood, are used in shipping and storing cables, with sizes ranging as large as 3.5 meters in diameter. Reusing these reels saves hundreds of hectares of forest every year. Change in every aspect of life, is the nature of people. These Upcycled Wooden…

Plastic Straws

Textiles Plastic Wood Paper Metal Introduction Straws are typically made from polypropylene plastic, an oil-based lightweight thermoplastic that is safe for contact with food and beverage. Polypropylene is also used to make many types of food packaging such as yogurt containers, bottles and caps. Straw Wars Steps are now being taken to reduce the amount of straws…

Hard plastics

Textiles Plastic Wood Paper Metal Introduction There are many different types of hard plastics we use every day, but most of these are derived from crude oil. Common plastics include polyethylene (PE) used for bottles, jars and furniture (see ECOStep design entry Green Step), polystyrene used for disposable food containers and plastic tableware, PVC used…

Rubber

Textiles Plastic Wood Paper Metal Introduction Rubber is a thermo-set plastic which means it cannot be recycled. It is generally shredded at end of life into a “crumb” which is used for shock absorption in flooring (e.g. in playgrounds) or used as insulation. Emergency workers stand next to a fire at a tyre dump near…

Reused Cardboard

Textiles Plastic Wood Paper Metal Introduction Paper and card can be low impact materials, but must be sourced from sustainably managed forests or recycled fibres. The processes can also involve large quantities of water, bleach, dye and other chemicals. Paper and card are easily recycled in most countries but can only be recycled a limited…

1st EPAL Amaliadas – Greece

Paper Lamp – The 1st EPAL of Amaliadas team – Greece Description of the design The Greek team has decided to participate in the program competition, with a creation corresponding to our potential. In particular, we created a “recycling lamp” using materials from our school halls. Our idea arose from the reflection that we had,…

UEC – PNO – Spain

KidPark Project – UEC PNO – Spain BRAINSTORMING: Once the project was proposed, it started with a brainstorming session where the participants expressed their creativity and originality. Among the ideas that emerged which most attention were: A wooden bicycle (no) A playground for children between 2-5 years (yes) ELABORATION: The idea of a playground was…