Turning plastic bottles into new products for Low-Middle

income countries

Project Background

Circular Plastic is funded under the UKRI Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) Challange Cluster and brings together a collection of previous GCRF projects which aim to tackle the ever-growing challenge of managing plastic waste in Low Middle-Income Countries through frontier technologies such as 3D printing and user-centred design.

Projects which make up this cluster

Building 3D printing capacity in Kenya. Utilising a co-design approach to create products and components for the local 3D printing industry.

design-layers.com

Exploring how upcycled materials can be used to build modular-homes for economically deprived populations in developing countries.

lcshr.com

Inspiring innovation through materials-led industrial design to support supply chain employment in emerging economies.

thinkingmaterials.net

Aims & Objectives

The project aims to establish solutions to plastic waste in Low Middle-Income Countries by utilising 3D printing to create new products and facilitate entrepreneurship and employment.

1

Investigate

current technology for plastic waste management in Low-Middle Income countries.

2

Create two

hubs in Nigeria and Rwanda to explore opportunities for plastic recycling and 3D printing.

Develop documentation to support future hub creation in Low-Middle Income countries.

3

4

Create innovative, user-centred products which highlight the entrepreneurial
possibilities of the technology.

5

Develop

a network of stakeholders and partners, through regional knowledge sharing events.

Project Partners

This project is supported by a wide range of academic, NGO and commercial partners in the UK and Africa. Please contact us for future partnership opportunities.