A new collaborative project, ‘Print Your City’, comes to put an end to Thessaloniki’s plastic waste by turning scraps into useful items and artworks with the help of 3D printing.
The initiative, started from the city of Rotterdam where reportedly residents generate an average 23kg of plastic waste per person annually, “enough to 3D print one bench for every two citizens of the Dutch capital”.
With Thessaloniki being home for over 800 000 inhabitants, the struggle with waste has been worse, which is why this challenge is so important.
The goal for the two cities is to create a collection of ‘scrap art’ pieces that is both functional and sustainable.
In Thessaloniki, the project has been undertaken by Design studio The New Raw as part of the Zero Waste Future programme launched by Coca-Cola Greece.
As a result a 3D-printing lab where people can design and print benches, plant pots, and bicycle racks how they want them has already strategically placed some creations in key spots around the city.
“The technology of 3D printing enables closing the material loop of plastic with a short recycling path and a zero waste production process,” The New Raw team says.
“Furthermore, it can combine modular repair and mass customisation, making a more circular city feasible while engaging citizens and reducing CO2 emissions.”
