recycle
Plastik als nachhaltiges Kulturgut

shredding of plastic rubbish with DIY shredder from Dave Hakkens

injection moulding with DIY injection moulding machine from Dave Hakkens

scho – the truly recyclable toothbrush
by Alexia von Salomon

Normal toothbrushes are made of three different plastics and are therefore not recyclable. A toothbrush should be used for no longer than three months. As the toothbrush scho is a monomaterial product, it enables the consumer to recycle it easily. The handle and bristles of this toothbrush consist of one and the same material: polyamide. It is about creating a circular economy, which focuses on reusing the resulting waste. In the designed circle of scho, a toothbrush is recycled to a toothbrush.

Photo: Martin Patze

Photo: Martin Patze

Photo: Martin Patze

HISCA – opens a bottle easily
by Hannah Kannenberg

Opening a water bottle is an everyday activity that you only become aware of when it becomes a problem. Thanks to its handy shape, HISCA (lat. “start opening!”) offers a simple solution due to its powerful leverage. A real relief for anyone who lacks strength in their hands.
The screw cap is material-saving and designed for mass production by injection moulding. As with conventional bottle caps, the HISCA bottle caps are recycled by returning the bottle together with the cap to the deposit system. During the recycling process, the cap material polypropylene/high density polyethylen (PP/HDPE) is separated from the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) of the bottles and can be reused in its pure form for production.

Photo: Martin Patze

For its convincing inclusive design, this project was awarded with the first price of the Hessian State Award for Universal Design 2018 in the category ‘young talent’.

Photo: Martin Patze

Photo: Martin Patze

U.Shave – sustainable shaving for everyone
by Irmela Krach

Unlike conventional razors, which are made of different thermoplastics and elastomers that can no longer be recycled, U.Shave is made of the recyclable monomaterial polypropylene. It fits the standardised single-blade, which is recyclable as well, and has advantages like the reduction of skin irritations and no blockage of the blade by hair. Since the single blade is not connected to the plastic, the whole razor head is not replaced when a new blade is needed, but the blade is replaced.
As U stands for unisex, the U.Shave razor sets an example against the gender clichés of the shaving industry.

Photo: Martin Patze

Photo: Martin Patze

Hang On – a washer hook
by Jasmin Schauer

Hang On gives the washer a completely new function: It is a conical hook attached under visible screws. Areas of application can be found everywhere: in the living room, on kitchen cabinets, shelves or shelf supports. Hang On consists of reused polyethylene, from which most bottle caps are made. These can easily be collected in a wide variety of colours and integrated into the new material cycle. It can be melted down many times without loss of quality in order to produce new products.


Photo: Martin Patze

Photo: Martin Patze

Photo: Martin Patze

Clipps – universal connector
by Linus Winkler

Here is your Clipps. Your Clipps travels with you. Your Clipps tidies up your bag. Your Clipps connects your clothes. Your Clipps holds your phone, while you’re watching a movie. Your Clipps makes sure that your charger and your charging cable don’t lose sight of each other. Your Clipps holds your jacket. Your Clipps helps you whenever you need it.


Photo: Martin Patze

Photo: Martin Patze

Photo: Martin Patze

mono switch – recyclable cord switch
by Max Gruber

The idea was to design a switch that works without additional metallic elements. Specially shaped metal plates provide electric conductivity in conventional switches. It requires a large effort to remove these metal plates from their plastic housings. This reduces recyclability significantly. The proposed design uses the metal of the cables to close the circuit. Consequently, no additional metal is needed for the switch to function. After removal of the cables this switch may be recycled without any problems.
Of course, the switch is just a pin in the haystack. It does not solve the general problem of electronics' bad recyclability. Yet, mono switch makes a statement – it shows it is worth trying.

Photo: Martin Patze

Photo: Martin Patze

Photo: Martin Patze

TRACK – protects what you love
by Michael Altmann

With the help of the GPS tracking device TRACK you will find your lost dog in no time. A new energy-saving wireless technology allows a battery life of over 1.5 years at a comparably low price for using the network. I set myself the task to design the housing for TRACK. It is made of recycled plastic and, unlike many other small electronic devices, it is neither screwed nor glued together but can be opened with a simple clip mechanism. Thus, when later disposing of the device, the electronic components and the plastic can be easily separated by the user and returned to their respective recycling cycles.

Photo: Martin Patze

Photo: Martin Patze

Photo: Martin Patze

Läuft – she pees standing
by Nele Meier

Dirty train toilets, smelly Dixis, two-hour traffic jams and I just can't hold it anymore. Every woman knows the feeling of needing to go but not being able to. Urination devices do already exist but unfortunately these are often too big to fit in any pocket discretely. On the other hand, single use products made of plastic-coated paper create unnecessary waste. I took a closer look and realised that with a length of just 13cm of recycled plastic you can create a product that fits in any pocket, is safe during use (no drops on your feet) and can be used over and over again.

Sheydz – a congenial alternative to sunglasses and hats
by Paulina Knoll

Sheydz protects the eyes like a visor from the sun. You don’t sweat under it because it has temples like glasses instead of a band like a visor. One sees the unadulterated colours of his environment, because no tinted glass hangs in front of one’s eyes. You see the look in the eyes of the one who’s wearing a Sheydz. Sheydz can be worn with optical glasses. It is also very light and you hardly feel it, when wearing it. It can be folded to the dimensions of 4 x 65 x 145 mm and is therefore easy to transport.


Photo: Martin Patze

Photo: Martin Patze

Photo: Martin Patze

CYCLOGON – a minimalistic repairable pedal
by Simon Krautheim

The bicycle is one of the most sustainable means of transport, but the way people interact with it and its design sometimes is lavish and material-intensive. My design of a bicycle pedal made of recycled plastic is a response to this: The modest octagonal platform is produced from high density polyethylene (HDPE) utilising the do-it-yourself (DIY) injection moulding machine by Dave Hakkens and screwed onto an axle using only two standard cartridge ball bearings and one nut. All parts can be replaced in minutes without special tools. Therefore, they can be recycled separately. The plans for the pedal will be open source – just like the DIY injection moulding machine – and will empower cyclists to repair and design their bicycles themselves.


Photo: Martin Patze

Photo: Martin Patze

Photo: Martin Patze

Resus – recycled and recyclable glasses
by Sophia Reißenweber

Glasses combine a medical tool with a fashionable accessory that enhances the wearer's recognition value and underlines his or her uniqueness. In comparison to other plastic glasses, which are mostly made of cellulose acetate, Resus is made of recycled polypropylene which, at the same time, guarantees complete recyclability. The spectacles hinges are integrated without any use of metal making it easy to put leg and frame together without any tools. The unique marbled aesthetic of the recycled material, which results from manual injection moulding, conveys a sustainable fashion statement and turns an everyday product into an individual object of value.


Photo: Martin Patze

Photo: Martin Patze

Photo: Martin Patze

Nicer Ricer – a measuring cup that can be used to wash rice
by Yang Ni

Although rice from the supermarket is flawless and packaged, rice grains are washed before preparation. This hygienic procedure from ancient times is still a spiritual act of purification. But there is no suitable utensil for washing and water consumption is correspondingly high. In order to give new life to the original tradition, the Nicer Ricer finds a contemporary approach: the classic measuring cup, as known from every rice cooker, also serves as a tool for washing rice.


Photo: Martin Patze

Photo: Martin Patze

Photo: Martin Patze

Eurodapter – the sustainable adapter
by Fritz Rahne

The power socket is an everyday object that could not be more common. There are different variants worldwide for basically the same plug. This leads to overproduction of a large number of products. Anyone traveling, for example, from Germany to England must purchase an adapter for their electronic devices. Due to the combination of different materials, these are very difficult to recycle. The Eurodapter saves resources, is made of a monomaterial and, nowadays, is sufficient for practically every device that a traveller carries with him or her.