We re-purpose film community plastic destined for landfill
Film manufacturers produce millions of small plastic containers used to protect your 35mm film in the supply chain every year, and many of them ultimately end up with labs.
All plastic that has ever been produced still exists in the environment in one form or another, be it in use, in landfill or unfortunately in our oceans and waterways.
We’ve been working with some extremely talented people to finally make use of this waste and transform it into tools for film shooters that are beautiful, functional and sustainable.
Join our recycling initiative
We’ve now launched the first Australian film community recycling program for plastic and it’s free for any Australian lab or film shooter to be involved.
Every part of our process from sorting plastic to injection moulding is done at our lab in Melbourne and the operations are completely offset by solar power.
100% of the containers we receive will be recycled, repurposed and removed from the traditional waste stream.
If you’re involved in a lab that wants to be more mindful about their waste…
How does it work?
We sort and separate containers and lids by plastic type and colour (HDPE, LDPE and PP). We then granulate these into small flakes so that they’re able to be fed into an injection moulding machine. The plastic is then heated into a liquid state and used to create products.
100% of the containers we receive make their way back into the world as something new and if you ask us, that’s pretty cool.
We’re starting our journey with 30,000 film containers and we can’t wait to show you what we’re making
Partner Labs
The following labs are helping to minimise their impact by sending in containers
FAQ
+ Do you accept disposable cameras?
Not yet.
Recycling disposables is a huge problem as they're made out of a number of materials like Polystyrene and acrylic. Polystyrene is much more hazardous to recycle than HDPE and LDPE.
We no longer sell disposable cameras due to the amount of waste generated.
+ Are the products recyclable at end of life?
Yes! The beauty of plastic is that it can be shredded and reused many times. Our products are recyclable at end of life.
+ What about 120 spindles?
We currently collect these too but haven't started actively recycling them due the plastic used.
+ Can I drop my containers with my household recycling?
Most councils accept HDPE for recycling in yellow bins. LDPE acceptance varies which is a problem with film containers.
Unfortunately due to the industrial machines being used, most councils are unable to recycle anything smaller than a credit card regardless.
Hundreds of millions of tonnes of plastic are produced each year and the majority of this doesn't get recycled. Councils often have issues with contamination in their stream from other household waste. 100% of the canisters we receive are reyclced and repurposed because it's all we accept. This creates a circular economy in which plastics stay in the resource pool and are recycled back into new products.