OUR PROCESS
Collection
The first step of our process is to collect plastic pipette tip boxes from labs in Charlottesville. We love working with the pipette boxes because they are all monotype (#5) plastic. Labs that work with us recieve one of our handmade collection bags and we meet up 1-2 times a month for collection!
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Sorting
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Our next step is sorting the pipette tip boxes by size shape and color. We have a few different color blends we seperate by and we have to make sure that the larger boxes are set aside for pre-shred crushing! During this step we also have to remove any stickers the pipette boxes have, ensureing the plastic is clean for the next steps!
3
Crushing
This step is just for our big boxes! The bottom parts that make up the majority of the pipette tip boxes are a little hard for Tony Hawk (our shredder) to grab onto and break down, so we designed a pre-shredding system that breaks these parts down a bit before the shredding stage!
Shredding
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The next step in our process is shredding! Here we throw all the sorted plastic (one color at a time) into Tony Hawk, our shredder! The shredder breaks down the boxes into small shreds that can be made into new, durable products using our sheet press!
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Sheet Press
The sheet press process involves melting the shredded plastic flakes into durable, high-quality sheets. The sheets are strong, versatile material that can be used for durable, long-lasting products like furniture and art!
This step of the process has been the most fun and is continuing to grow everyday!
