UNBC is turning old plastics into new products

UNBC is hoping to make a difference in both the amount of plastics in local landfills and in students’ learning.

The university is opening a new plastics recycling station in partnership with Northern BC MakerCollective, a group of creators who use 3D printers.

Waste plastics from the UNBC campus are collected and shredded, then turned into raw materials for 3D printer users to create new usable products at a space run by the Northern BC MakerCollective in downtown Prince George.

The project is supported by $168,000 in funding from the provincial CleanBC Plastic Action Fund.

UNBC sustainability manager Ann Duong said in a media release that from her perspective, this is a confident step forward in reducing linear waste.

“From my lab experience, I’ve seen perfectly good plastics end up in landfills. This project aims to shift UNBC toward a circular economy, closing the loop rather than following a linear waste model,” she said.

UNBC added the project will help the university get on track to meet its target of 70 per cent total waste diversion by 2035.

Along with environmental benefits, the project will give students valuable insights.

“Students engage directly with recycling processes, gaining applied learning experience. The hands-on approach gives learners a better understanding of what recycling truly entails and fosters greater appreciation for material systems,” Duong said.

Duong said she believes the project can demonstrate the economic and environmental benefits of sustainable practices, which are often not accounted for.

Northern BC MakerCollective said the partnership grew from a mutual interest in community and sustainable design.

MakerCollective founder Belinda Larisch said the organization has been looking to create a new local maker space after the previous MakerLab at Two Rivers Gallery closed.

“When we were introduced to UNBC Sustainability, we found that we had much in common. We were intrigued by the idea of plastic recycling, as repurposing materials is a core principle for many makers,” Larisch said.

As planning wrapped up and the project began to take shape, MakerCollective opened the Maker Station, a new space to house the project’s recycling equipment.

“The ability to take waste plastic and reshape it into new and useful products opens up a seemingly infinite amount of potential projects. The addition of plastic recycling creates opportunities for greater creativity — whether for personal use, prototyping for future business ventures or small entrepreneurial projects,” she said.

UNBC staff and students have played a key role in shaping the project, with engineering students conducting term projects examining plastics available on campus, collection methods, processing pathways and potential end products.

“They looked at what types of plastics are available on campus, how to collect them, product ideas and how to process plastic from collection to a final product,” said engineering associate professor Steve Helle.

Helle said the space will give students experience beyond what is learned on campus.

“Hands-on, real-world projects have higher learning potential. They are messier and require the ability to work with uncertainty, and they are highly motivating because this is not a make-work project but one with real meaning,” he said.

The project is not currently intended to operate at a commercial scale. However, organizers hope it will inspire similar programs across Northern BC.