Beautiful paving stones from plastic waste

Kazakh designer Enis Akiev has developed a method of turning single-use plastic packaging into tiles by simulating the organic process of rock formation.

Enis Akiev tiles are made from plastic waste.

Metamorphic rocks like marble develop their irregular flow patterns through heat and pressure, and Akiev's plastic bricks are subjected to similar conditions to achieve the same effect.

Designer Akiev said: "First, I collected household plastic waste from the garbage sorting facility. After that, I sorted it by color and type of plastic before washing and drying. , I put it in the oven to melt the plastic and then press it into a mold, cut it into sheets and sand.

"Through heat, motion and pressure like in rock formation, but with a much lighter approach, I can achieve very similar structures , " she said.

Enis Akiev makes tiles from plastic waste after consumption.

This process can create a variety of different colored tiles with many shades. "Colors are created entirely through the classification of plastic waste into appropriate groups," Akiev explained.

"I did not add any colors or adhesives, and the patterns came from the way I layer them into pieces of plastic."

The idea of ​​plastic being subjected to similar conditions in nature came from Akiev's perception that plastic was never really thrown away. It simply goes to another place, out of sight, whether it's into our landfills or oceans.

This idea came from when she happened to see a notice from the American Geological Association about the discovery of a new "stone" called plastiglomerate . It was first found on a Hawaiian island in 2013, after a volcanic eruption mixed plastic waste with surrounding natural materials like rocks, sand and lava.

This process can create a variety of different colored tiles with many shades.

And with his tile work, Akiev offers a message on this topic in the hope of helping people revisit a resource that is often considered to have no history, discarded after one use, can now have a long life, after which they are eliminated.

"I aim to enhance the value of the material and want to show its appealing aesthetic , " she explained. " So in a way, every brick is a work of art and I hope it will be treasured and lasted for long."

Plastics have been a major concern for designers this year, with projects looking for new applications for plastic waste or seeking research in the hope of replacing all plastic materials with more sustainable solution.

Typically, this year's James Dyson award, Lucy Hughes, created a biodegradable plastic entirely from scales and fish skin.

Or like the French designer Dorian Renard, like Akiev, hoping to get us to revisit our throwing culture by creating a collection of high-class sculptures and plastic that are blown like glass. .

Check out the beautiful paving stones from plastic waste by designer Enis Akiev: