Project Overview
Large 5 gallon water bottles use plastic and foam packaging to transport water around. These bottles once used are then collected back, refilled and distributed as per the the required customers.
The bottle caps are the waste produced from this process. The bottle caps consists of two parts (as you can see in the image) a foam liner and the overall plastic body. These plastic caps are recycled at plastic factories for various purposes and the waste of this product is the foam liners.
Foam is a material that is banned to be reused in a chemical way due to the toxic fumes produced that affect the environment. Also the foam liners just get dumped at the yard, and each foam liner takes approximately 4 - 5 decades to decompose.
The Discovery
The material was discovered on a site visit to a plastic factory, where these bottle caps were being recycled into products for use within the construction industry, mostly for the benefit of the laborers safety. The waste produced by this factory were these foam liners that were found abundantly at the site.
Statistics say that, each plastic factory in the UAE, disposes off 10 metric tons of foam bottle liners in the Baladiya yard annually. Therefore by reusing them in an interior application, there's a reduction in the landfill's which indeed protects the environment.
Design & Concept
In order to design the prototype, we decided to use Foam bottle liners, which line the bottle caps of 5 gallon water bottles and 'Backer rod' which is also another form of foam, used in between glass panels during installation, was used as a connector for the prototype.
Our design concept evolved from bonding and how it affects us at different levels.
When we discovered this material we wanted to understand how this material was made and what were its uses. We learned that a bond known as the "Carbon-Fluorine" bond present in foam, is also one of the strongest bonds in organic chemistry. From this new understanding we drew a connection as to how we humans respond to relations and how we develop bond's with each other.
And the overall product has a total of 40000 bottle foam liners which eases on the dump yard, environment, and adds an aesthetic value to our "green environment". It also elaborates on our design concept, and just makes one think of the impact we can make if all of us get together for the good or our society and our world.
As it is visible in the product the braiding technique is quite elaborated, and yet that forms the fundamental basis for the product. That was the most crucial part of the process, and also tested our relations with each other within the team. It also represents how strong and meticulous we all want our relationships to be in the real world as well, and ultimately as the old saying goes "united we stand, divided we fall" !
Environmental Impact
With the current global scenario towards a greener and sustainable future the situation forces us to think of alternative "out of the box" solutions. As designers, we are the people who will be shaping and directing tomorrows future, hence we need to be aware of what steps need to be taken towards a brighter future. If we start now and develop such improvements, only then will we reap the benefits. So yes, the concept of reuse is relevant to us at every level, and should be a conscious thought towards every decision.
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