Pollution: Separate plastic waste to help make a prosthetic leg

Sorting rubbish from recyclables could be seen as a bit of a hassle, but separating different types of plastic in your bin could help provide a person with a prosthetic leg.

A new scheme is making that happen by reusing unwanted plastic rather than it being sent to landfill.

Precious Plastics is launching a project in Conwy and Rhondda Cynon Taf to help reduce waste.

The Welsh government has set a target of zero waste by 2050.

The project helps recycle different plastics into a variety of objects.

Prosthetic legs can be made out of oil bottles, cabins and chess boards out of bottle caps, and tote bags can be created from plastic bags.

Eifion Williams, chief officer of conservation group Circular Communities Cymru, said that getting the most out plastics is the big challenge in creating a circular economy – where materials are reused and not thrown away.

“There are seven different types of plastic and if they get compounded and made into a mixed compound it’s very difficult to untangle that,” he said.

“It’s very expensive too, so if we can keep those polymers separate in the same way as we keep our paper, tins and glass separate then we will be making steps towards the circular economy.”

Mr Williams said it was not a case of “just telling people to do recycling because it’s the right thing to do, this is giving them tangible benefits in their hands”. 

Andromeda Thomas is the coordinator of the environmental group Crop Cycle Treherbert, which shares a site with Precious Plastic on land previously used as a petrol station in the heart of the town. 

“I think people here can see things actually being put into action now, which is really good,” she said.

“I think there’s always a long way to go and there’s always room for improvement, but this could act as an example to other people and at the same time we can explore different ideas and move things forward.”

Gwynfor Jones, 18, started as an apprentice at the Crop Cycle scheme and he is now the youngest member of staff.

“Before this project came I thought a milk bottle was one plastic but no, with the lid being a different colour, shows it’s a different plastic than the actual bottle itself.

“So you can get plastics with three, four different types in one object.”

At the Nantycaws recycling centre, near Carmarthen, a new re-use project called Canolfan Eto is also helping to deliver a circular economy throughout the county as well as becoming a leader in recycling and re-use in Wales.

The aim is find new uses for unwanted items that have been thrown away.

Customers can buy items including furniture, paint, bicycles, gardening items and much more.

It is hoped that schemes such as Precious Plastic will help ensure that Wales reaches its ambitious target to achieve zero waste by 2050.

Based on the latest comparable international information to hand, Wales is third in the world when it comes to its recycling performance, behind Germany and Taiwan. 

Wales’ recycling efforts save about 400,000 tonnes of CO2 per year from being released into the atmosphere.

The Welsh government acknowledged the need to do more and said it would soon introduce workplace recycling regulations, a ban on single use plastic and extended producer responsibility.

Related Topics