Photo: Kitchen backsplash tiles created locally on Maui. PC: JD Pells
Last week, we had the privilege of meeting one of Maui's recycling innovators, Andrew Spears. We were surprised to learn that Andrew helped launch a plastic recycling plant in Puʻunēnē, near the Maui Friends of the Library, a couple of years ago.
Using small-scale equipment, molds ordered online, and plastic collected from the ocean, he created (aka "upcycled") artistic products like kitchen tiles, bricks, and benches right here on Maui. His latest piece sold for $2,000!
"The thing about Maui is it's a developing market, not an existing market," he said.
Particularly when it comes to plastic, recycling is what you make it. Rather than relying on the commodity market to determine the value of second-use plastic, we are asking what can be done with our waste to create value here on Maui?
Is anywhere else upcycling plastic already?
ëCollabo8 photo
ëCollabo8 is giving trash a second life in Bali. According to the ëCollabo8, it has turned nearly 152,000 pounds of plastic waste into valuable items since March 2022, and it is able to recycle more than 1,000 pounds of plastic each day.
Through their process, they've manufactured deck planks that have a 100-year lifespan and are "more cost-effective than wood." They can also create countertops, furniture, pocket mirrors, hair combs, coasters, sunglasses and much more.
And guess what...they are turning all kinds of plastics into building materials — not just #1 and #2!
If Bali can do it, why can't we?
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