Opinion
Material has a finite lifespan. More and more products are being produced. Single-use products are getting harder to avoid. It would seem that everywhere we go, at any point throughout the day, we could be receiving something that will eventually wind up in the trash. Space is limited, landfills
Business
When disposing of trash, we often separate it into recyclable and non-recyclable. While it's fairly obvious why some items, such as organic and biodegradable waste, belong in the trash, some items have recyclable components but may be too complicated to go through a sorting facility. That'
Science & Tech
Styrenyx breaks down waste polystyrene, a common hard plastic, into its original building block: styrene monomer. This includes flame-retardant-laden and other distressed feedstocks that are otherwise difficult to recycle. It uses controlled temperatures, with no catalyst required, and is the result of 8 generations of development, over 20
Arts & Lifestyle
The Toronto Tool Library and Makerspace, founded in 2012, creates an opportunity for a local shared pool of resources for anyone who wants to get crafty. Here’s one you’ve heard before: the average drill is used for just 13 minutes in its lifetime. Yet many of us possess
Arts & Lifestyle
Digital second-hand marketplaces have existed for as long as the internet has been in existence. These services help ensure that previously owned products don't go to waste when they aren't needed anymore. What if a similar service existed, but with the goal of reducing food
Science & Tech
TrackMyTrash is a service that would allow a user to discover the path that their recycled material is taking. This service would utilize reports from recycling plants, post-production companies, and innovators in recycled materials. All information would be compiled in an online database and app, allowing anyone to find
Numbers
Overview The figure above displays the results of multiple survey questions pertaining to the practice of recycling materials. It summarizes both quantitative and qualitative data to show reasons why the sample may or may not recycle, how to increase recycling participation, and why people don't always purchase items
Arts & Lifestyle
MaterialView: Where Did I Come From is an educational info system that can be installed alongside any installation, art piece, public service, or other design that uses recycled material. This rapid sketch prototype is meant to provide an outlet for creatives to introduce the way they utilized a circular economy
Arts & Lifestyle
Based in the Netherlands, Superuse Studios changed the way that one might think about recycled or reused material. Instead of focusing on single-use consumer products, this studio focuses on a larger-scale product that all of us use very frequently: Buildings. A design is not considered as the beginning
Business
MYOPlastic is a Precious Plastic workshop that allows users to make their own miniature sheet goods. This rapid design idea comes from the idea that once people are educated on what recycled plastic production companies do with their recycled plastic, it will increase motivation to participate. Local companies or community
Science & Tech
What if the key to making stronger, more sustainable plastics isn't changing their ingredients, but rearranging their molecules? (EurekAlert!, 2026). Researchers at Virginia Tech have undergone experimentation with creating new molecular structures for degradable plastics while maintaining the properties that plastic should have. The researchers joined the ends
Science & Tech
For the past 6 years, Hawaii has been implementing recycled plastic into its roadways instead of letting it end up in a landfill. This technology has been dubbed polymer-modified asphalt (PMA), which is more durable and elastic, allowing it to withstand Hawaii's unique weather patterns. The plastic