3D printing is the future of fabrication, but there's one problem: It uses a lot of plastic. Enter
3D Brooklyn, a small studio that uses materials that can't be recycled the old-fashioned way, like potato chip bags, as the raw ingredients for its 3D-printed objects.
While many view 3D printing as the future of fabrication, the technique uses a lot of plastic. One company, however, is trying to cut down on just how much plastic it uses.
The company is called
3D Brooklyn, and it is a small studio that uses materials like potato chip bags, which can't really be recycled in the traditional way. Chip bags are created using a blend of polypropylene and polyethylene, making it very difficult for them to be recycled.
3D Brooklyn gets its chip bags from TerraCycle, a recycling company based in New Jersey. TerraCycle melts down the bags into separate pellets. Those pellets are then used by 3D Brooklyn to make the filament for the 3D printers. 3D Brooklyn doesn't just use that filament for its own projects, however, and also sells the recycled chip bag filament to other companies to use in their own operations.
It's really a great way to recycle something that otherwise wouldn't be recyclable. In addition, it is an idea that could really help with the issues that we currently have with
recycling, especially considering that there are plenty of materials we currently can't really recycle.
3D printing is the future of fabrication, but there's one problem: It uses a lot of plastic. Enter
3D Brooklyn, a small studio that uses materials that can't be recycled the old-fashioned way, like potato chip bags, as the raw ingredients for its 3D-printed objects.
It’s that time of again, the time to refresh our minds and bodies and promise to make significant, positive changes to our lives going into the New Year. Instead of vowing to floss more or drink less caffeine, walk down a greener path this year with some of these unique ways you can make 2016 the year you commit yourself to the planet.
The holidays are back in full swing, so it’s time to batten down the hatches, shrug off your Thanksgiving food coma, and start thinking about gifts for your friends, family and coworkers. If you’re having trouble deciding what to get, give a gift to both your loved ones and the planet this year by “greening” your gift list at every opportunity. Below are a variety of guilt-free gift ideas and tips that will make the Earth just as happy as the recipient.
With the new year approaching, it's time for us to start thinking of how we can resolve to make New Jersey the best it can be in 2016.
As a born-and-raised New Jerseyan and avid outdoorsman, I have experienced the negative effects of how the state's residents and businesses waste energy and generate unnecessary pollution that is contributing to a worldwide, historic spike in carbon emissions.
Using a water filter, whether to improve the taste of your water or to filter out contaminants, isn't that hard to do. What has been difficult, though, is trying to justify throwing out all of the filters into the trash. And, according to The Washington Post, 40% of Americans use a
home water-treatment unit.
Academies at Gerrard Berman Day School in Oakland is teaching students about sustainability while making a significant impact on the environment. Through use of TerraCycle programs and Zero Waste Boxes, the school helps turn waste, such as snack wrappers and old school supplies, into new plastic products. Academies at GBDS participates in TerraCycle’s free, national Brigade programs, recycling items such as Entenmann’s Little Bites packaging, Capri Sun drink pouches, Scotch tape dispensers and E-waste.
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