A wonderful thing about recycling Precious Plastic is that we sweep up the waste (or capture it with our shop vacuum) and recycle it too! These cylindrical blocks of solid material are primarily HDPE, but they also include whatever else was swept up, which may include LDPE and PP plastic, aluminum shavings, sawdust and little bits of wood, sometimes even pine needles! The result is a fascinating, stone-like conglomerate that tends to be overall gray, but have complicated patterns on account of varying sizes of plastic material, from chunks to fine dust, and inclusions such as sparkly aluminum. The cylindrical shape is great for popping on the lathe and using woodturning tools, or using a CNC or other hand/power tools.

Photographs above show some example blanks, as well as one that has been turned on a wood lathe to make a vase to demonstrate the material in use.

Approximate dimensions: 7.5 cm diameter; 15 cm long.