Propeller Industries

PRECIOUS PLASTIC 

Precious Plastic is one part of the College’s Benang: Strategic Plan 2019 - 2023 as it focuses on Innovation and Enterprise along with Custodianship. Thanks to the College’s support, The Hangar is home to four machines to shred and then repurpose plastic. 

We are beginning the prototype production phase with our Precious Plastic compression oven to make pot-plants. The compression oven was fully built by Mr Chris Butler, parent of Amos (Year 9) and Silas (Year 11). We purchased the pot-plant mould from Margaret River Precious Plastic, who are one of our key mentors as we learn how to best utilise the machines for education, plastic recycling and production. 

Each pot plant is made of 700g of Type 2 (HDPE) plastic and the base is made of 250 additional grams. This is over 35 litres of milk bottles turned into a useful and colourful pot. You’ll soon start to see them around campus and, in Term 3, students can sign up, provide their kilogram of Type 2 (HDPE) plastic and make a pot. We will provide more information on this in Term 3 for interested students.

Besides the compression oven, the extruder is now ready for making prototypes. This machine extrudes a continuous thread of plastic into a mould. It is the final machine to be completed by Mr Butler. It is the first machine we will use with a partner, a local engineering firm, Metis Engineering with their non-profit Microsplastix. They have designed a beach cleaning machine based on a UK model, and we will work with them to make it from as much recycled plastic as possible. We are seeking a small team of students and even interested parents who might want to work with us on this exciting endeavour.  Please email Ms Laura Strenz (Head of Propeller Industries) on Laura.Strentz@allsaints.wa.edu.au if you would like to learn more.

Finally, Year 8 students in Innovat[ED] and the Sustainability Club for Years 5 – 12 have been working on sorting plastic and creating educational opportunities by working with Early Childhood and Junior School students. We are working to get Precious Plastic to be student-led and focused on educating about plastic-use reduction and plastic recycling.

Ms Laura Strentz

Head of Propeller Industries