FAQ
Frequently asked questions
💬 General
How do I get started?
Our main website explains the overall picture of Precious Plastic. The Academy has video tutorials and information for you to learn how to start recycling plastic. The Map and Discord can connect you with recyclers in your local area. Be sure to add a pin to the map when you are up and running!
How can I share back to Precious Plastic?
Precious Plastic is an open-source project. This means that you can share back your knowledge with the rest of the community to help grow the recycling base. There are two main ways to do so:
- How-Tos, these are step by step instructions that show tips and tricks you have discovered during your recycling journey. Whether these are a machine hack, new product, mould, event hosting or anything in between, we want to hear about them!
- Discord, share your know-how helping people who come with questions on our Discord. The best thing is to help new recyclers avoid mistakes you may have made so that more quality recycling can happen more often. We are very happy for people to share their knowledge and are grateful.
How do I collaborate with Precious Plastic?
Precious Plastic has a page for Collabs. This is where we work with forward-thinking partners to create recycling projects around the world. You can learn more about it on the Collabs page. If you wish to start up a workspace check out our Starterkits.
I have an idea for Precious Plastic, where can I share it?
All ideas are welcome and much appreciated. Use Discord to gauge your initial ideas with the community, we have channels for machines, products, collections and more.
I want to work for Precious Plastic, how can I apply?
We are a small remote team currently based in Portugal. When we have openings and opportunities we post them on Discord or social media. If you would like to work or do an internship learning recycling, check out the Map and ask local workspaces for job opportunities in your area.
What is open source?
"Open source" refers to something that people can modify and share - its contents are "open". The term comes from the software industry where open source referred to the source code being open, nowadays the term has expanded to include hardware, products, research, design, just about anything that can be collaborative and non-proprietary!
What is the aim of Precious Plastic?
The aim of Precious Plastic is to provide a global solution to the plastic waste problem. We provide machine plans, product designs, knowledge on plastic and the industry, business models and a full ecosystem that can be adopted by anyone that wants to take the problem into their own hands. Everything we learn and publish online is free and open for anyone to use and modify.
How can I contribute?
We'd love you to join our community and become part of the Precious Plastic Universe. We’re working towards more decentralised and collaborative processes to develop Precious Plastic further, check out our Discord to learn how you can contribute. If you'd like to contribute to us financially, you can become a Patreon or visit our support page to find another way to help.
⚙️ Machines
Where is the Download Kit?
The Download Kit is in the Academy. It has the main kit with everything needed to start plastic recycling, plus each Starterkit has its own download kit.
Do you sell the machines?
No. We do not sell machines. We prefer that people build them locally or hire a machine shop. Just to make it clear, WE DO NOT SELL MACHINES :)
Where can I buy the machines?
You can buy machines or parts on the Precious Plastic Bazar. Make sure to buy from someone around you to reduce delivery carbon emissions. Check out the Map on our Community Platform, or the Bazar to see what's available locally.
Can I build the machines and sell them?
Yes, we would love that. The more people recycle, the better. The profit is all yours my friend! You can sell the machines via the Precious Plastic Bazar.
Are the machines safe to work with?
If you build them according to our drawings, it should be ok. Overall they are safe to work with. However, a machine like a shredder can do quite some damage. But you can always customise the machines and make them safer. For more safety tips, check out the How-tos. Either way, please always watch out!
What are the requirements? (Space, tools/equipment, money, time, people)
It's different for every machine, the best place to find this information is in the Build section of the Academy. If you have any further questions, ask the community on Questions if it's a technical question or on Discord if it's about other topics..
How much energy do the machines consume?
You can find all the output technical details on the starterkit pages of our website.
I have a technical question, where can I get help?
You can use Questions. Many talented and informed community members and engineers are there and might be able to help you!
🥤 Plastics
What is plastic?
See the Plastic section in the Academy.
Can I use all plastic types in Precious Plastic machines?
Nope. We usually recommend HDPE (#2), PP (#5), and PS (#6) as the plastic types that work best in the Precious Plastic machines. Ask around the community about other types.
Is it dangerous to work with plastic?
It's not overly dangerous to work with plastic as long as you follow the proper precautions. However, different plastic types have different requirements. Refer to the Safety and Fumes section of the Academy.PVC is toxic, so don’t work with it.
How do I know what type of plastic something is?
Hopefully, the piece of plastic you're referring to is marked with a number from 1 to 7. If it is, hooray! You can easily search online or check out our Basics of Plastic section which goes into more detail. If it's not marked, it's a little more difficult. There are techniques such as density testing, infrared testing and burn to test. You can also get to know more about what kinds of plastic are used for common products (for example, chemicals are often stored in HDPE bottles). You can learn about all these topics in the Nerdy on Plastic in the Academy.
How many times can you reuse plastic?
Plastic is a pretty strong material and as long as it's sorted and cleaned properly, in theory, it could be recycled many times. Depends on the plastic type, but the industry says it's usually around 10 times. But the point is to make long-lasting items to keep them out of our earth/ocean/atmosphere as long as possible.
Can Precious Plastic recycle PET?
We don’t have solutions for PET yet, head over to Discord and help us develop novel solutions to deal with PET.
🏓 Products
Where can we buy Precious Plastic products?
You can purchase products from the Precious Plastic community on the Bazar.
Do you sell products?
Nop, we don't sell products.
I have an idea for a product, can you make it for me?
Nop, currently we cannot help you with product design. You can use the Map to find a workspace to help you or chat with people on Discord.
👨👩👦👦 Community
How do I find people in my local area?
Use the Map on the community platform to find people around you!
How can I get involved?
We'd love you to join our community and become part of the Precious Plastic Universe. Check out the Universe Explained in the Academy. If you'd like to contribute to us financially, you can support us on Patreon.
I have been collecting plastic, where can I bring it?
When collecting, check out this page for tips and tricks. To find people wanting to take your plastic, check out the Map. There are workspaces all over the world, so hopefully, there is a workspace or Collecting Point in your area.
Can I use the Precious Plastic name?
Yes you can! Check out the branding and style guidelines in the Academy under Style guides.
What is a Verified workspace and how do I become one?
The Precious Plastic Verified spaces are the projects pushing Preicous Plastic to the next level. Check out the Community Program on the Academy to learn more.
What are the different types of map pins?
There are 5 different map pins: Workspace, Machine Shop, Collection Point, Community Point and Member (Want to get started). There are 5 different types of Workspaces: Extrusion, a workspace that has only an extrusion machine; Injection, a workspace that has only an Injection machine; Shredder, a workspace that has only a shredder; Sheetpress, a workspace that has only a sheetpress and Mix, a combination of any of the machines. The "Want to Get Started" pin is for people who want to get started in their area and searching for people to start up a Precious Plastic workspace/collection/community/machine shop.
💰 Business
How feasible is Precious Plastic as a business?
There are many ways to make money with Precious Plastic. You can find a wide variety via our Starterkits page. Like any business, it can be tough starting up, but many workspaces around the world have seen successes. Check out the Business section in the Academy for more information.
What are the starting costs for a Precious Plastic workspace?
Starting costs vary from place to place depending on the scale of the business you wish to start. You can find our estimates on the Starterkits page.
How do I sell my products/machines?
We have the Precious Plastic Bazar! This is a marketplace for the Precious Plastic Community to sell anything related to Precious Plastic. You can set up an account and start selling straight away. Check out the guidelines and the Bazar.
How do I price my items?
For pricing estimates and further business advice, check out the Business section and Workspace Calculator in the Academy.
👩💻 Community Platform
I’ve forgotten my password, login, or both!
If you've forgotten your password, you can use the "Lost password?" link on the Sign up page.
How do you approve new Spaces on the map?
A team will review each incoming Workspaces, Collection Points or Community Points to make sure they meet the requirements needed to operate within the Precious Plastic universe to keep the community active and relevant.
What is the Community Program?
The Community Program aims to help and reward the people and projects contributing the most to grow the Precious Plastic movement. There are different levels, requirements and rewards. Have a dig below to understand how you can be part of it. For more information check out the Community Program on the Academy.
Is there a translated version of the Academy?
Translation has been requested since day one and has been difficult to figure out. We have content in many different formats and platforms. Additionally, a community interfacing in many different languages can be more confusing than helpful. For these reasons we have translation on hold. But for now you can access REGIONS channels on Discord to chat in your language.
🔆 About the project
Who is behind this project?
Precious Plastic was started by Dave Hakkens in 2013. The teams have changed multiple times over the years, mainly working on new versions. Now, there is a small team consistently working on the project. This team helps keep the community thriving and continues the development of machines and products. Learn more about the project through our history.
Why are you sharing everything for free?
Because we believe that opening up knowledge for free is the fastest way to build effective solutions. Bottom up, grassroots, and community driven.
Creative commons, copyright and open source?
Check out our open source page for more information. Basically everything we is shared under Creative Commons public licence and and you are free to use it!
Why are you sharing it for free?
Because we believe that opening up knowledge for free is the fastest way to build effective solutions. Bottom up, grassroots, and community driven.
Creative commons, copyright and open source?
Check out our open source section for more information. Basically everything we do is open source and you are free to use it! We have a creative commons public license to help protect all of our designs, blueprints, etc.
Do you make money with this project?
We have a few revenue streams for the project. The main one is the Collabs we do with bigger partners. These Collabs help fund the building and maintenance of the online platforms as well as research and development of Precious Plastic. We are also funded through a combination of grants, awards, donations, and Bazar fees. If you would like to contribute, check out the Support page.
💬 Contact
I would like to visit your workspace
Would love to but it is not possible at the moment :( If you would like to see a Precious Plastic workspace in action, check out the Map and see if your local workspace can facilitate you.
I'm stuck with something. Can I contact you to ask you a question?
Questions is the best places to ask technical questions and find answers from the community! If you're looking to connect with community members, join Discord. If you're a Patreon supporter you can head to the Patreon Helpdesk on Discord.
I am doing a research project and would like to ask a few questions about the project?
Unfortunately, we can’t directly answer questions as we are a small team. We have all our information on the Academy and you can talk to many active people on our Discord. Also contacting your local workspace on the Map is another way to get great information.
I'm interested in funding/donating to your project.
Well we'd love to talk to you! Please visit our Support page and find out how you can help.