The Manufacture Of Recycling Machines

Turning plastic waste into resources

In order to improve the process of plastic waste recovery, it is necessary to characterize the waste and then carry out a recycling process adapted to the different types of plastics treated and to the surrounding environmental context.

This is why the recovery machines on board the Plastic Odyssey have been designed to meet the waste recovery needs encountered throughout the world, in the areas most affected by plastic pollution.
These machines have been developed during more than 4 years in our land-based workshop in Marseille, and meet 3 distinct criteria: low-tech, open source and local scale

Machine development

We have worked with the recycling industry in France and abroad for more than 4 years. To guide our choices towards designs that are simpler and more accessible than industrial machines, we spoke with projects and actors from the informal plastic recycling sector. …

… Encounters with the huge Zabbalean community in Cairo and with recyclers from Burkina Faso and Thailand have taught us a lot about the environmental and social impact of plastic pollution. With them, we discovered valuation techniques similar to those in industry but simplified and adapted to the local context. These examples are concrete applications of solutions adapted to the field and which make it possible to recover waste in situations where the means are limited.

Balancing industry standard with field adaptability, we have engineered efficient and productive plastic recycling technologies that are simple to design and manufacture.

Machine Design Criteria

Low-tech

The machines have been designed so that their manufacture can be carried out anywhere. Their design is simple. They are manufactured with standard tools and it is possible to change some parts or materials. The operating procedures are easily understood and can be adapted.

Open source

All knowledge is shared so that everyone can use this information and contribute their experience. We do not sell these machines, we make the knowledge available so that we can replicate them all over the world.

Local Scale

The machines are adaptable to different contexts in order to meet the specific needs of the environment in which they are intended to be installed. …

The ultimate goal is to succeed in creating reliable and economically viable recycling centers.