What they do
Precious Plastic is an open-source community creating machines and tools for local plastic recycling. Founded by designer Dave Hakkens, the project provides free plans for building shredders, extruders, injection molders, and compression machines that process plastic waste into new products. The global community includes thousands of local recycling workshops in 100+ countries.
Why they matter
Industrial recycling fails for most plastic types because the economics do not work at scale. Precious Plastic inverts the model: instead of centralizing recycling in massive facilities, they distribute it to local workshops worldwide. Open-source machine designs mean anyone with basic fabrication skills can build a recycling setup for under $5,000. The community creates local circular economies where plastic waste becomes a resource for local makers, artisans, and small businesses.
How to support
Build a Precious Plastic workspace using their free machine plans. Join the online community to share designs and techniques. Start a local recycling workshop. Purchase products made from recycled plastic by community members worldwide.
Key project to explore
The open-source machine library provides free, detailed plans for building plastic shredders, extruders, and injection molders, enabling anyone in the world to start a local plastic recycling workshop.