Exhibitor Tags: Art gifts Handmade Crafts

Happy solutions to plastic waste
Plastic Uniquely Recycled PUR offers empowering ways for our community to elevate plastic out of the waste stream. Lifelong maker and owner Jenifer Sherman-Ruppe was inspired to find creative ways to reuse plastic to minimize and reverse environmental harm.

How does plastic turn into wearable art?

Step 1: Plastic is Locally Collected

Various local businesses collect recycled and cleaned plastic. Everything from prescription bottles to Playdoh containers (anything that is #5 plastic) creates an array of colors for this precious material.

Step 2: Plastic is Carefully Shredded

A machine shredder, designed by the non-profit Precious Plastics, tears up the plastic into small plastic chips. Chips are then sorted by color.

Step 3: Plastic is Creatively Re-molded

Plastic is intentionally shaped into various designs, and hand-crafted into wearable art. PUR designs currently include buttons, key chains, necklaces, earrings, and more.

Every day, discarded plastic ends up in landfills. Even with the process of recycling, several million tons of recycled plastic sits unused in warehouses around the globe.

We get it-it can feel overwhelming to consider this world-wide problem, or easy to get frustrated at the manufacturing systems that seem to be apathetic to the problem. Rather than feeling stuck in blame and discouragement, the PUR team invites you to participate in a solution! The first step is to reframe the way you look at plastic. Not only as a problem, but as an opportunity.

We invite you to:

Get CURIOUS about plastic waste.

Learn about the issue and get curious about new ways to help elevate plastic waste out of the waste stream.

Get CREATIVE about recycling opportunities.

At the heart of creativity is finding new connections to past and present problems. Let PUR wearable art spark new ideas for creative plastic reuse!

Get POSITIVE about the solutions-oriented approach to plastic waste.

You can have a positive impact, both on the environment and in your community. Join our mission to find happy solutions to the plastic waste issue.

PUR is a small example of a larger idea. And of course, that idea serves to benefit our environment and community unity. The transformed plastic not only offers creative self-expression, but a unique talking piece to inspire others to action as well.