Terri-Ann Weinberger is using Number 2 and 5 plastics to create new items. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

Sustainability

Air Ronge resident using plastic waste to create new products

Jul 26, 2019 | 11:52 AM

Terri-Ann Weinberger of Air Ronge is hoping a home-based business she launched will help divert recyclable plastics away from the local landfill.

At a regular Air Ronge council meeting this week, Weinberger was given permission to go ahead with her project, which aims to collect Number 2 and 5 plastics and melt them down into new items. She has already purchased a shredder, injection and extrusion machines from the United States and she plans to begin making tiles, keychains and coasters soon.

“It’s been in the works for a little while,” Weinberger said. “The main idea came from when my husband and I were looking for some edging for our lawn and we didn’t want to use wood. We were researching composite beams and found they could be expensive. I thought we could just make them, so I came across Precious Plastics online where they were making beams out of the plastics.”

Precious Plastics is a website started in 2013, which includes open source information to develop machines, tools and infrastructure to enable small-scale productions for recycling plastics. Weinberger noted she’s currently in the research and development phase of her business, adding she needs to learn the right temperatures when plastics melts and create moulds for what she wants to create. At first, she mentioned she’s only going to develop products for herself in order to test them out before she considers selling them to the public.

In the coming months, Weinberger expects to approach groups in the tri-communities like the Churchill Community High School Pick Up Project to inquire about collecting their plastic waste. She stated if the businesses gains momentum, she might some day need to put a call out to all residents for their plastics as well. As she only accepts Number 2 and 5 plastics, Weinberger noted residents can find out what their recyclables are made from by checking the number on the items. Common items in those numbers include bottles for laundry detergency and coffee cream, five-gallon pails and bottle caps.

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This is a shredder used in the development of recycled plastic products. (submitted photo/Terri-Ann Weinberger)

“Since I started looking into this, the local recycling depot here has stopped accepting plastics for recycling,” she said. “I do believe it’s going straight to the landfill at this point, so anything to reduce and reuse items is good for the environment in the long run.”

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derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno