Environment

Portable "Trashpresso" up-cycling plant transforms trash into tiles

Portable "Trashpresso" up-cycling plant transforms trash into tiles
The Trashpresso is a semi-portable recycling center, that can turn discarded plastic and fabric waste into tiles
The Trashpresso is a semi-portable recycling center, that can turn discarded plastic and fabric waste into tiles
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The Trashpresso is a semi-portable recycling center, that can turn discarded plastic and fabric waste into tiles
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The Trashpresso is a semi-portable recycling center, that can turn discarded plastic and fabric waste into tiles
The Trashpresso can wash, shred, melt and mold plastic and fabric waste to make tiles
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The Trashpresso can wash, shred, melt and mold plastic and fabric waste to make tiles
Miniwiz says the Trashpresso can produce 108 sq ft (10 m2) of tiles every 40 minutes, and the end result is suitable for use as indoor or outdoor flooring
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Miniwiz says the Trashpresso can produce 108 sq ft (10 m2) of tiles every 40 minutes, and the end result is suitable for use as indoor or outdoor flooring
The Trashpresso runs on solar power, to make it self-sufficient off the grid
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The Trashpresso runs on solar power, to make it self-sufficient off the grid
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In developed countries, it's easy for most people to not give garbage disposal much thought: it's hauled to the curb, and a truck carries it away out of sight and out of mind. But isolated communities often lack that infrastructure, meaning it's harder to either truck out the trash or process it on-site. The Trashpresso is designed to lighten the load a little, as a semi-portable, solar-powered plant that turns trash into tiles.

The system was created by Miniwiz, the design company behind other creative recycling initiatives like Polli-Bricks, made from discarded plastic, and Nike's concept store in Shanghai, China, which is built entirely out of materials derived from bottles, cans and DVDs.

This latest venture is what Miniwiz calls a "mobile up-cycling plant." The Trashpresso fits inside a 40-ft (12-m) container that can be trucked around to remote locations that need some cleaning up. Once unpacked on-site, the system can wash, shred, melt and mold plastic and fabric waste into tiles, which Miniwiz says are suitable for indoor and outdoor flooring, or further refinement. The equivalent of five plastic bottles goes into each tile, and the Trashpresso can produce about 108 sq ft (10 m2) of them every 40 minutes.

To be deployed far from the grid, the Trashpresso needs to be self-sufficient, and to that end the system runs entirely on solar power. Even the water that it uses to wash the garbage is recycled back through the system, in an effort to reduce its footprint.

The Trashpresso can wash, shred, melt and mold plastic and fabric waste to make tiles
The Trashpresso can wash, shred, melt and mold plastic and fabric waste to make tiles

"Until now, industrial grade recycling was limited to plants," says Arthur Huang, co-founder and CEO of Miniwiz. "The Trashpresso overcomes the distance and energy barriers by showing that recycling is possible everywhere. Not only does it serve to transform trash on-site, it also serves as an educational tool in isolated communities."

The Trashpresso's first gig will be to clean up the glacier region of NianBao Yuze, which sits on the Tibetan Plateau and feeds into the Yellow, Yangtze and Mekong rivers. Miniwiz says that the area is seeing increased tourism and, as a result, increased litter. The company will deploy the system in July to show off its capabilities.

Source: Miniwiz

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2 comments
2 comments
myale
Some parts are missing to this story - how does the waste get to the plant? Does it need to be sorted - does someone have to pay to use the plant? So what happens to the tiles - they are sold? moved by a truck or a solar powered vehicle? Given away? etc
Rocky Stefano
myale - methinks those parts are missing because they are trade secret