It may look like a flower, but this is actually plastic. W;ink Atelier is only one of several Asian designers who makes jewelry items from recycled plastic, as plastic garbage is an ongoing problem.
W;nk atelier’s jewelry pieces are made by first cutting out the desired size from plastic bottles. These fragments are then gradually heated up and melted spontaneously into organic forms. They are further enhanced by other materials that include varnish and 24K gold leaf before being attached to 18K gold plated brass fittings to become wearable.
In 2017, 1.4 billion PET-bottled drinks and 47 million glass-bottled drinks were sold in Hong Kong.Information from The Green Earth, Sprite Plastic Bottle NO DEPOSIT NO RETURN Plastic waste was the third-largest constituent of Municipal Solid Waste with a daily disposal quantity of 2,320 tons21% of Municipal Solid Waste) in 2019, decreasing by 1.0% as compared to 2018.Waste statistics from the Environmental Protection Department, Monitoring of Solid Waste in Hong Kong In 2018, only 0.2% of the PET bottles were collected in Hong Kong for recycling.Information from The Green Earth, 按樽費1元 回收率估計可達75% The government has tried several strategies to encourage recycling.From South China Morning Post, Hong Kong needs united action to tackle plastic waste crisis and boost bottle recycling
Due to hygiene and food safety regulations, plastic derived from recycling plastic bottles cannot be used to manufacture beverage containers. Therefore it is usually down-cycled. When plastic bottles arrive at a recycling facility, they go through processes such as washing, shredding and granulating, after which the processed material can be made into non-food-grade items.
W;nk Atelier presents a new small-scale solution to the problem by turning trash into treasure through their colorful PET jewelry pieces.
