South Korean designer Donghoon Sohn has come up with his latest BSP collection that is formed by upcycling 3D Printed Plastic Waste. The collection includes a bench, Cubist chair and a side table which can be recycled once more at the end of their life. As we know recycling plastic is a tough task in itself owing to its low value and density along with various other technical issues, we, at SURFACES REPORTER (SR), congratulates the designer for successfully recycling the plastic waste to create such distinctive pieces of furniture that are inspired by the form of a sandwich.

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Unique Circular Design

The collection name BSP stands for byproduct, solvent and plastic, gives a tribute to the classic BLT (bacon, lettuce and tomato) Sandwich. The designed pressed plastic slabs together like slices of bread to form a sandwich. He joined plastic slabs while showcasing vibrant recycled plastic binder to spill out from the cracks, just like melted cheese. The collection is made from mass-produced plastic and displays circular design that can easily be recycled.

The collection consists of totally white virgin plastic blocks, which are combined together by a colourful glue-like substance that trickles from the seams. The material used to join it is recycled acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS plastic).

How to Recycle Plastic By Products?

“The BSP series started from my research on how to recycle plastic byproducts. ABS is a popular material for 3D printing and CNC milling because it is easy to dye and process. Inevitably, a lot of plastic waste is created in the process, which is hard to recycle because it is too tiny, like dust. But these flakes or small parts from failed prints are easy to dissolve in a little amount of solvent due to how large their surface area is relative to their volume. From this research, I realised that I could reinterpret mass-produced plastic into handcrafted furniture,” says Donghoon Sohn.

He dissolved the ABC plastic flakes in a solvent-ethanol for at least five minutes to create this collection. Soon after that, he added brightly coloured powders in the liquid, when the plastic slabs are pressed together, the ethanol evaporates forming a vibrantly colored, solid material. Each of the pieces in the collection looks unique because the material solidifies in different ways every time.

Also Read: World’s First 3D Printer That Uses Paper Pulp Instead Of Plastic

“Imagine you are grabbing a sandwich with your hand—this is almost the same situation. While the melted plastic solidifies, I apply a virgin plastic slab from each side to create the look of a melted cheese sandwich," adds Sohn.

The solidified colourful ABC plastic gives a new design aesthetic to the handcrafted furniture pieces of the collection.

It Can Be Recycled Once Again

Sohn avoid using any glue or resin in the production process so that the pieces can be recycled once again when they reach the end of their life.

“In the future, plastic may be no longer in use due to environmental issues, so then my work will be limited edition,” said Donghoon.

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