thequietriot.com » re-use

Surfaces from recycled glass

admin — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 08:54:54 +0000

In 2002 each person in the UK generated 167kg of packaging waste per year – a lot of it is glass. In 2001 2.5 million tons of this material was taken to landfill. Currently 752,000 tons of glass are being recycled annually in the UK. Every ton of glass recycled into new items saves 315 additional kilograms of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere during the creation of new glass. Glass is a material which is virtually infinitely recyclable and it can be turned into new packaging or find new applications such as surfaces and worktops.

Back in 2000 the innovative material Resilica was launched by Eight Inch and the company has been quietly establishing a growing market for recycled glass surfaces during which time the wider demand for sustainable products has changed beyond recognition.

Resilica is made using up to 100% recycled glass. Millions of tiny fragments are mixed with specially formulated solvent-free resins, cured, then diamond polished to reveal a high-gloss surface that has incredible depth and lustre. Each piece of Resilica is made to order. This allows them to create a bespoke colour recipe for individual clients.

Resilica remains at the forefront of the market gaining a reputation for quality, consistency and performance and the company is pleased to have undertaken projects for some of the UK’s best known organisations including The Department of Health, The National Trust, Costa Coffee and London Zoo. Companies who are now appreciating the value in using sustainable materials in their built environments.

Originally known as ‘Ttura’ Eight Inch have recently renamed and rebranded their product and as part of the rebrand their new website is now live and features a comprehensive colour archive and images of surfaces they have created for the domestic and commercial market.

For more information, please visit www.resilica.com.

M.HAUS 2010

Design for longevity

admin — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 09:03:57 +0000

The cylinder in the office chair recently broke, which means it can no longer be adjusted and seat has sunk to its lowest level. The result is a very uncomfortable sitting position, which is not good for posture and health. What to do? Buy a new chair?

Obsolescence is designed into most of our products: flat screens, electric toothbrushes, CD players, MP3 players, toys, games, mobile phones. They all go down a one way street into landfill, incinerators and down-cycling. None of them can be repaired or upgraded. The new iPhone will last us two years and we are already looking forward to the next and more exciting model.

Sure – the electronic products will go into recycling. The regulations are now strict and we are good citizens. Some of the design icons we might even keep as they are beautiful and they evoke wonderful memories, but they will become dead items on a shelf or in a drawer though the material will last for much longer.

Longevity has been designed out of most of our products. They are for the day and the season and move along with the fashion.

Charles Eames designed thhise task chair in 1958. It still looks contemporary and appropriate for our spaces. Some people might even think it is a little bit too modern and progressive. Our model is 15 years old and has acquired a patina, which makes it even nicer. The cylinder can be replaced for £50 and there is at least another 15 years left in the chair.

The design of a toothbrush

admin — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:01:43 +0000

After 6 – 8 weeks a toothbrush weakens and it starts to perform less well. Dentists recommend replacing your toothbrush every 8 weeks. Each person should therefore use about 6 toothbrushes per year, which equates to around 368 million toothbrushes in 2008 in the UK alone.

According to government figures in the UK, over 50% of all ‘waste’ still goes into landfill. In England alone the volume is 62 million tonnes. Large parts of it will come from business and industrial processes and production, but our consumer goods also have a big impact. Your toothbrushes will certainly be part of it.

Many toothbrushes can be recycled, but this also requires huge amounts of resources in collecting, transporting, sorting, melting, moulding and so on. It is also highly likely that the material will be treated as ‘waste’ and down-cycled rather than a resource for a higher quality product.

The actual brush is the part of the product which wears out most quickly, whilst it is the handle that comprises the bulk of the material of the product and this hardly gets damaged over time.

Aronal produces a toothbrush called öko-dent, which offers a very simple design feature: The actual brush can be replaced whilst the handle can be used for a much longer time, potentially many years. The new toothbrush is sold with two replacement brushes and the replacement brushes are also offered as a stand-alone product. The brushes as well as the handle can be recycled.

The designers at Aronal put the principles of re-use and reduce at the heart of their development process.. The product can be completely recycled and landfill cut out of the process. If the handle last you 2 years and you replace your current toothbrush every second month, you will save the energy and resources needed to produce, recycle or simply bury 11 toothbrushes!