Plastic recycling and education project

Aim

To set up a mini plastic recycling space and offer community engagement and educational workshops on plastic pollution and solutions

I'm a multidisciplinary artist based in Sunderland, North East England. My background is in performance but during Covid I really accelerated my visual arts practice. 

While studying for a Psychology MSc in 2021 I was awarded Santander Seed Funding and Enterprise Scheme membership to start my arts for wellbeing practice. A lot of my work is in the community, facilitating creative workshops with groups including people living with dementia, LGBTQ+ youth groups, refugees and asylum seekers, and people with different educational needs and disabilities. I regularly work with groups at The Arts Centre Washington, Holiday Activity and Food events across Tyneside and County Durham, as well as team building and relaxation days with professional groups, and collaborating with theatre and poetry groups. I'm also one of the north east stable of artists for the National Theatre's Speak Up programme, which places artists in secondary schools to work with young people. 

In 2023 I graduated with a PGCE in post-16 education with a specialism in special educational needs, and became familiar with the UN's plan for sustainable development. I began researching ways to minimise the plastic output of arts and educational practice and found Precious Plastics, an open source global network of education, machinery, and materials which allows for small scale plastic recycling. In order to learn more about this I applied for a creative residency at Buinho, in Messejana, Portugal. I spent two weeks at Buinho in November 2023, learning to use the recycling machines and collaborating with international artists, many of whom had an environmental underpinning to their work.

In 2023 I was also involved in Sustainable Sunderland, an educational project for freelancers and SMEs to learn more about climate change, plastic pollution, and the bigger picture of sustainable practice. Following this I entered a period of research around connection to land and care for the local environment, inspired by my own proximity to the north east coastline, and the differing attitudes towards caring for the space and biodiversity there. 

My intention is to set up a small workspace in my studio, recycling plastic lids and other small items initially into wearable beads, then expanding into other decorative and useable items. Alongside this I intend to reach out to my existing network of community and education professionals and offer workshops to encourage conversation about plastic pollution, and the necessity and urgency to reduce, reuse, and recycle our plastics. Brexit almost put a dampner on my plans, as many of the machines I first learned about no longer ship to the UK, however I've found a supplier within the Precious Plastics network who is UK based and makes machines that are small enough to use in my home studio. 

This funding will allow me to purchase a shredder, injection kit, fume extractor, bead mould, protective eye wear and a respirator all in one go, and get the project rolling in spring 2024. The feedback I've had from my professional network about this idea has been very positive, and it has the potential for scaling up to larger machines and products, and creating opportunities for local people and businesses in the future.

It's important to note that plastic recycling is not a perfect solution to plastic pollution. Recycling takes energy, and the plastic still ultimately exists. The aim of this project is to remove plastics from environment for longer periods of time, and crucially to encourage conversation and education around plastic use, with reduction as a priority. 

This project successfully funded on 31st January 2024