A homeware collection made from plastic waste

The Plastic Mine collection is made of plastic clumps from a factory floor, which reveal unique patterns when flattened

Spotted: Dutch design duo, Iris van Daalen and Ruben Their, who own Studio Their&VanDaalen, have created a series of home accessories made from plastic clumps gathered from the floor of a factory that makes pipes and tubing for industrial use. The Plastic Mine collection features brightly coloured pieces like shelves and tables, with polished, flat top surfaces with intricate patterns.

The large chunks of plastic that are collected come from the beginning of a new production run when the hot plastic is extruded and gathered in clumps. The designers have set up a system that collects and roughly sorts the lumps of plastic into their respective colours and shape. The most striking waste pieces are then hand-selected by the duo before being turned into homeware.

To create the flat surface for each piece, the plastic is processed using a CNC machine or a saw. The fittings that mount the final pieces to a wall, or the legs, are then added. One of the more intriguing aspects revealed from flattening the lumps of plastic were the unexpected marbled patterns hidden inside, which are created by the folds in the material as it piles up before solidifying.

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