Hyun Lee

What I am going to do

While collaborating for term 1.3, I have come to know a lot about the recycled plastic field that I have not been interested in because I thought it would be difficult. I have been interested in traditional materials as like clay, wood, or metal, and I have thought recycled plastics are harder to understand and feel closer to science than to art.

My group was looking at sustainable materials, but we were particularly interested in recycled one, and I looked into a lot of recycled plastics. I thought it was an area where there was so much more to learn from now on, that I wanted to research more during the plus week.

I heard that there is a plastic studio in Korea where people can work with Dave Hakkens' Precious Plastic source. I want to visit there and work on it with other plastic designers.




We also came up with an idea for recycled paper for packaging, but it didn't lead to actual work. I plan to make various pieces of paper made from used tea leaves during plus week. The work will be made in collection book introducing several kinds of recycled paper.

-> It was impossible to make recycled plastic myself with them at the studio. It has been closed from February and doesn't offer any class or workshop due to the virus.

Plus plan

Paper making

Materials
-Used tea leaves
-Food leftovers
-Used paper
-Powdered glue

How to make it

The leaves are used at a cafe where I work at.

Infusing tea

Teabag after infusing

Pieces of paper to be used with tea. It's going to bond well if I use tea leaves and paper, so I added some paper.

tear up the paper and soak

Soaking tea and paper together in water

Tea leaves + paper. About four hours in water

Sieve out

Result
-> Tea leaves and pieces of paper don't stick together.

Solution
-> Add paper glue to bond them.

Tea leaves+paper. Soaking again.

Add powdered paper glue

Sieve out.
Dry for about 3 hours.

Result
-> rough paper
-> tea aroma o
- >The tea leaves and paper pieces are so big that they don't stick together well.

Solution
-> Filter out tea leaves and paper by grinding them.
-> Increase the amount of paper glue.

Ground the tea leaves in the blender.

Grinding paper as well

With water

Tea leaves+paper+glue

Mix them well

Let it dry

Result
-> Decreased drying time by increasing the amount of paper glue.
-> Some part didn't come off from the strainer well.
-> Looks like paper.
-> It does break easily.

Grind them together

Add glue

Strain out

Result
-> paper-ish
-> easy to break


Next step
-> Research food leftover for paper making
ex)Carrot peels, fruit peels, egg shell etc.
-> Food waste smell solution?
-> Grind it again?
-> Which tool is more convenient to remove from strain-thing?

Apple peel is drying

After drying

After ground

Paper+apple peel+glue

Dry about 6 hours with a hemp cloth

Result
-> Smells sweet
-> A better result than tea leaves

Drying oriental melon

After drying

After grinding+water

Oriental melon+paper+glue

Sieve out with a hemp cloth

Result
-> Can make thin paper
-> There are many holes because they are unevenly dried

Review

The aroma of each ingredient was impressive.
It took longer to make each paper than expected.
I was wondering if I could make recycled paper without pieces of paper.(with only food leftover or stuff)
I can consider alternative materials for paper that I put.