Seeing Plastic as a Valuable Resource
Plastic is considered a dirty word these days. It litters oceans and landscapes causing harm to wildlife and habitats and the nation world is on a mission to get rid of it. While we are doing what we can to reduce the amount of plastic we use and recycle that which we no longer have a use for, there is nothing we can do to rid the world of the plastic that already litters the planet… or is there?
A new exhibition called Plastic Matter looks at the environmental impact of plastic and how it can have a new life as a “valuable” resource after it has been discarded. The exhibition, hosted by The University of Hertfordshire, includes a canopy of recycled bottles and a huge box of items found in the River Thames and its curators hope the display will provoke conversation and action.
Artists involved with Plastic Matter explore different aspects to plastics story and its potential to become something more treasured. Through their work, they hope to instil new worth and meaning to plastic and help us reconsider its role and future in contemporary society.
Plastic Matter is held at Hertfordshire University’s Art and Design Gallery, it is open to the public until April and admission is free.
The Future of Plastic
Plastic is essential to important industries, it’s in our mobile phones, our cars, food packaging, medical apparatus, stationery… it’s everywhere and without it, we wouldn’t have some of the things that we consider pivotal to day-to-day life. What’s important is what we do with it when we are finished with it. A lot of the plastic we use can be recycled; mobile phones can be sent back to their manufacturers to be refurbished or reused, most plastic packaging can be sent to recycling facilities to be repurposed, stationery can be recycled and so on.
When we buy new products, it’s vital that, instead of creating more plastic, we purchase items that are made from recycled materials wherever possible and that we encourage others to do so too.
Making a Statement
Exhibitions such as Plastic Matter make a statement to others that plastic is reusable and can be a valuable resource. They give others the opportunity to see that plastic can be reused and repurposed after it has completed its initial use.
Another company that set out to achieve this is Pilot with the introduction of its B2P gel pen. This unique pen is not only made from recycled plastic water bottles but is designed to look just like one too, making a statement to others that the plastic used had a former life as a drinking vessel and that it has now been repurposed into something else.
The Global Cleanup
We are not saying that companies should continue to produce single-use plastic, or that plastic that litters the planet isn’t extremely harmful, but seeing plastic, not as the enemy, but as something that can be reused time and time again could help to reduce the amount of plastic that enters and remains in the environment.
Global Office Supplies is on a mission to help companies go green. We can help you reduce your impact on the environment by supplying green office supplies, print management and recycling services.
Get in touch today to find out more about how we can help your office go green: