3form recently released a new material made from old household plastics, such as laundry detergent containers, window cleaner bottles and milk cartons. These are all made of HDPE (high density polyethylene), which can apparently be repurposed as an architectural material that can be used for partitions, counter surfaces, furniture, and more. 3form calls their new product "100 Percent".
The product's website attests that 3form designers "literally 'get their hands dirty' as they mix and match" the bits of recovered HDPE. This is a little suspect to me, given that many of those empty containers previously contained harsh or toxic substances. It's not entirely clear how these go from being bottles and cartons to walls and tables, but the end result will apparently be ecologically responsible, structurally viable, and nice to look at.
HDPE =
CH3-n(-CH2-CH2-)-CH3
where n is around 500, I believe.
Diesel fuel, gasoline, natural gas, etc, are mixtures of hydrocarbons of the same type, except of course n ~6,3,0, respectively. (Natural gas also contains methane, CH4)
These are essentially extremely dense diesel fuel, and should probably just be burned. The problem is sorting them and not allowing any chlorinated plastics into the mix.
Building tables out of diesel fuel = inefficient and about as worldchanging as a square-wheeled bicycle
Posted by: Ben Hunt on May 5, 2006 5:28 PM
I'd like to point out that the (-CH2-CH2-) was totally redundant, and can be shortened to (-CH2-), with a doubling of n, before people get on my case too much.
Posted by: Ben Hunt on May 5, 2006 5:30 PM
HDPE is used alot simply because its durable and resistant to alot of things.
As a result it does in fact make a great table or wall. And its no more wasteful to grind em up and press em again into other things then grind up anything else and pressing em into new things.
Posted by: wintermane on May 5, 2006 8:32 PM
Ben writes, "Building tables out of diesel fuel = inefficient and about as worldchanging as a square-wheeled bicycle"
Maybe so. Continuing your point, it would be more efficient to not make these HDPE containers in the first place and just leave the oil in the ground.
Incineration may generate electricity but it also generates greenhouse gases. If this method of recycling plastics keeps the carbon locked up, inefficiently or not, maybe it's worth it.
worldchanging was founded on the idea that real solutions already exist for building the future we want. it's just a matter of grabbing hold and getting moving.
3form recently released a new material made from old household plastics, such as laundry detergent containers, window cleaner bottles and milk cartons. These are all made of HDPE (high density polyethylene), which can apparently be repurposed as an architectural material that can be used for partitions, counter surfaces, furniture, and more. 3form calls their new product "100 Percent". 
