Hong Kong-based design lab KaCaMa is known for turning consumer waste materials into new products. One of their ideas takes 4,000 torn up plastic bottle caps and wraps them up in a recycled fabric to make a beanbag chair.
Many recycling companies lacking proper facilities to process plastic caps don’t accept them. Caps are made from polypropylene (PP) which is also known as plastic #5. This type of plastic is strong and can withstand high temperatures, and is not commonly recycled.
Bottles, on the other hand, are made out of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or plastic #1, a commonly recycled plastic used for food and drinks. Since cap and bottle are processed differently they need to be separated, otherwise it will cause a number of issues such as plastic contamination and machinery malfunction.
KaCaMa’s chair, called the PP Capsule, also has a social element. It is created through a workshop by RightNetwork International, a social enterprise with a focus on helping low-income women make the most of their craftsmanship, particularly in sewing, weaving, and manufacturing leather products.
Because it uses waste materials, the chair is designed so that it requires less energy to produce. For an environmental benefit that is visible to the eye, the caps can be seen from the outside of the chair.
Photos from KaCaMa.