During the summer I wanted to learn more about plastic, so I decided to try volunteering for the first time. It is at the place called Ground-up Initiative (GUI), the plastic project. The GUI plastic project collects plastic from beach cleanups and from neighbors and transforms it into something useful.
(I also wanted to join the beach cleanups, but at the moment due to COVID restrictions in Singapore, it is prohibited for people to gather in large groups, so when the restrictions are lifted, I would like to join the beach cleanups.)
At the plastic project, they collect different types of plastic and try to make a product out of the waste. First, they sort the plastic depending on the type of plastic, because each type of plastic’s melting point is different. The types we sorted it into are recycled numbers 2, 4, and 5 only. Then they clean the plastic and separate them into different colors. After that, they cut the plastic into smaller pieces, then shred it. The last step is melting the plastic and molding it into different shapes to make the product.
When we went to the plastic project, we sorted the plastic, cleaned the plastic, and helped with shredding them. There were so many different steps to do to make a small item. What really surprised me was that everything there was homemade, the container-house and the machines (the machine was made by volunteers). I am really happy that I got to go because I had a chance to learn more about what can be done with plastic. I plan to continue volunteering here.