The National Museum is working on creating sustainable plastic using waste materials. Researchers have launched a new project aimed at replacing fossil fuels in plastic production with waste materials. The project focuses on developing plastic that can be used for long-lasting products. This is stated in a press release from the National Museum.
Yvonne Shashoua, research professor at the National Museum and project leader, explains that the goal is to use waste materials, which currently have low value and are not recycled, to produce plastic. An example is paper cups that contain a thin coating that the current Danish waste sorting system cannot handle. Researchers will attempt to separate this coating. Additionally, they will extract and purify material from cigarette butts, so it can also be recycled, Shashoua explains.
The project, named “Healthy Plastic from Waste,” is planned to last for three years and receives a grant of five million Danish kroner from the Novo Nordisk Foundation. The purpose is to generate new knowledge that can be widely shared and benefit society.
Yvonne Shashoua emphasizes that it’s difficult to avoid the use of plastic in today’s society, but it can be done in a more sustainable way. She believes that we should move away from a use-and-discard culture and instead use plastic for essential products with a long lifespan.
Although most people may not associate the National Museum with plastic research, the museum has a collection of over 7000 cultural-historical objects made of plastic, including LEGO bricks and Barbie dolls. The museum has also researched plastic production and degradation for 25 years to better preserve the material.
With this initiative, the National Museum hopes to create a more sustainable future and offer solutions that can be widely used for the benefit of the environment and society.