IMU Sustainability Student Club (IMUSUS) has established a ‘Plastic Recycling Workshop’ for on-site recycling of solid wastes generated within our campus areas. In the plastic recycling workshop established in the BİLTAM Building, two PETMachine devices were installed in cooperation with the Tylman Design company of Polish origin and recycling works were initiated. The first plastic recycling workshop of the project, ‘Pet Filament Workshop’, was held on Wednesday, October 02, 2024 at the Sustainability Office. The workshop, which attracted great interest, was open to the participation of all our academic and administrative staff, students and the public.
In the workshop, firstly, the academic advisor of the IMU Sustainability Student Club, Res.Asst. Ayça ÇELİKBİLEK gave information about the plastic recycling projects they carry out as a student club. ÇELİKBİLEK pointed out that while social responsibility projects are produced in many parts of Turkey about plastic caps, almost no projects are produced about the bottles to which these caps belong. ÇELİKBİLEK stated that these plastic bottles, in addition to producing waste, are lightweight and fly in the wind, so they are mixed into water resources and cause many negative consequences such as both marine pollution and threatening the lives of marine life. ÇELİKBİLEK stated that all members of the student club are sensitive about environmental pollution and therefore they attach special importance to waste management in their social responsibility projects. ÇELİKBİLEK pointed out that their aim is to recycle the wastes produced within the campus areas on site and thus they will both reduce the amount of energy needed for recycling and ensure the recycling of wastes with less carbon emissions. She emphasised that the work to be carried out within this workshop will form an important part of Istanbul Medeniyet University’s 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) programmes, which include waste reduction, reuse and recycling.
After giving general information about the project, IMUSUS student club president Res.Asst. Furkan ERUÇAR gave information about the operation and use of PETmachine, which was designed by Tylman Design to convert PET bottles. After the users obtained basic information about the use of the machine, the application phase of the workshop began. Pet water bottles collected by IMUSUS were upcycled into filament. During the workshop, 150 gr. waste plastic was recycled.
In the continuation of the workshop, the participants produced key rings consisting of the initials of their names with the help of 3D printers from these filaments.The objects produced by the participants were presented to them as a gift.
IMUSUS stated that the installation phase of the plastic upcycling workshop, which continued throughout the summer term, is about to be completed and that the social responsibility projects they will carry out with the upcycling of pet material will start with the 2024-2025 academic year. The project coordinators stated that all projects and workshops will be open to the participation of those interested in the public.
Announcements about pet upcycling workshops can be followed on @surdurulebilir_imu and @tylmandesign instagram addresses.
