♻️ MAKING VALUE OUT OF PLASTIC- HOODIE GOODIES' PRECIOUS PLASTICS INITIATIVE ♻️

THE PLASTIC PROBLEM 

Trash and litter clog the roadsides and is found everywhere in the DMV!

Our beautiful landscape is choked by an invasion of plastic and Styrofoam debris. Not only is all of this trash an eyesore when visiting the DMV, but it also threatens our wildlife and environment!

Plastic pollution can disrupt life in various ways ranging from accumulating in large amounts in our oceans and rivers to disrupting the food chain and natural reproductive cycles of birds, fish, and even people! In 2018 close to 400 million tons of plastic waste was produced worldwide!

Only 9% of this plastic waste was recycled with an additional 12% burned. The remaining amount always inevitably finds its way into the environment. The effect of plastic pollution on wildlife is very serious and definitely a cause for concern.

The plastic pollution problem is so severe that scientists say that 90% of all birds have plastic present in their body as a result of bioaccumulation in the food chain. When plastic makes its way into the oceans it works its way up the food chain as fish ingest the plastic while feeding on algae, and birds and people eat the fish.  

This is an alarming trend and in response, the city government of Washington D.C has even recently banned single-use plastics like straws from restaurants and other businesses. This was done in response to the alarmingly high level of Styrofoam and plastic trash found in the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers which are vital to the region’s environment and economy.

This trash ends up clogging the precious waterways and causing harm to local wildlife and fish populations. People don’t realize the harm that plastic and Styrofoam inflict on the local environment and on local jobs.

Is the convenience of these items really worth it?

What if there was a way, we could still utilize plastic… but over and over again!

What if we could radically change the way we view trash and recycled goods?

What if we could create something beautiful from the problem of plastic pollution?

These are some of the potential possibilities that the Precious Plastics project provides…

WHAT IS THE PRECIOUS PLASTICS PROJECT? 

Precious Plastics is a Dutch-based non-profit that centers around an initiative to provide open source blueprints that can be used to create plastic recycling equipment.

These blueprints are designed so that commonly found hardware supplies and materials found all over the world can be used in the construction and build of the various machines.

The machines themselves are modular in nature, and Precious Plastics provides several resources including videos on how to build and assemble the machines.

Precious Plastics provides open-source blueprints and designs for the following machines:

• Shredder Machine: The shredder machine takes plastic waste like old water bottles and processes it into smaller plastic flakes that can be used in the other machines. The size of the created plastic flakes can be adjusted allowing for customizable options.

• Extrusion Machine: You use the extrusion machine to take the plastic flakes created by the Shredder and to process these flakes into lines of plastic. These plastic strings can then be used as a starting point for creating 3D printing filament, creating granulated plastic, or for use in a mold. The potential uses are limitless!

• Injection Machine: The injection machine takes plastic flakes heating them and injecting them into a mold. Molds can be created using CNC Mills or Lathes, or by welding custom created molds. 
  

• Compression Machine: The Compression Machine is excellent for creating larger and more solid objects. Plastic is heated to a high temperature and then slowly pressed into a mold using a carjack. The Compression Machine is perfect for creating large prototypes and larger objects in volume. 
  

HOODIE GOODIES & OUR PLAN FOR WASHINGTON D.C

Hoodie Goodies believes the Precious Plastics concept is an amazing idea, and believe it can be successfully implemented here in the District of Columbia.

Our idea is simple- we want to raise the money required to build and design these machines and open up a local Precious Plastics recycling facility here in the Capital of the greatest country on Earth!

There is a huge need for a facility like this within the District of Columbia, and by focusing our resources and energy to organize people we can achieve this common objective...

In order to achieve this goal, Hoodie Goodies is going to work with partner businesses and creative affiliates to create awareness about plastic recycling possibilities.

We have created a series of custom design t-shirts and hoodies for our SAVE THE WORLD, SAVE THE HOOD fundraising series!

ALL MONEY USED TO PURCHASE A T-SHIRT OR HOODIE FROM THIS SERIES WILL BE DONATED TO A GOFUNDME ACCOUNT FOR RAISING THE FUNDS REQUIRED TO BUILD THESE MACHINES!

WITH THE MACHINES WE WILL BE ABLE TO OPEN UP A SMALL NEIGHBORHOOD PLASTIC RECYCLING FACILITY TO USE AS A STARTING POINT FOR EXPANDING THIS AMAZING CONCEPT AROUND THE DMV!

VIEW OUR PROGRESS! CHECK OUT THE GOFUNDME BY CLICKING THE BUTTON BELOW! 

WHY BUILD A PLASTIC RECYCLING CENTER?

There are several reasons why Hoodie Goodies thinks the District of Colombia and other communities in the DMV should have Precious Plastics inspired recycling facilities.

While recycling facilities exist in the DMV already, none turn the process recycled materials into a useable resource for 3D printers.

With this idea, we are able to bring these scalable and easily DIY technologies to DC neighborhoods and spread awareness and knowledge about recycling and conservation.

We are able to provide hands-on experience in turning trash into reusable and amazing objects of desire!

Some of the things that can be created with 3D printers and recycled plastic include:

• recycled 3-D printed plastic tokens for cryptocurrencies

• Check out Crypto National Trust to learn more about cryptocurrency!

• recycled 3-D printed collectible figurines and souvenirs for local businesses!

• recycled 3-D printed replacement parts and modular parts for Drones

• recycled 3-D printed flutes that can be donated to local schools and their creative arts and music education programs.

The possibilities are endless!

But nothing can happen without the tools and machines… Through raising the funds for these machines, we can bring positive change to neighborhoods and communities across the DMV.

Help us achieve this mission of bringing sustainability and technological innovation to the District of Columbia, Virginia, and Maryland!

To learn more and to get involved check out our FB page for Precious Plastics DMV!