PlastiCarGo

PlastiCarGo is an adaptable mobility system designed to act on plastic waste management and plastic recycling. Shaped as a modular chassis made out of recycled plastic compressed with iconic wagon wheels, we introduce three configurations acting as an organic recycling loop from collecting and sorting (A), then, injecting and customizing (B), to assembling and selling (C).   

Three vehicles which together, can help making the change. 

By associating a wagon-wheel handcart with a micro-recycling factory with gain in agility and versatility we can reach directly waste maker and potential consumer to recycle products. This kind of social interaction, displayed in front of the consumer’s windows, generates a new form of education around plastic recycling and waste management.

This kind of social interaction, displayed in front of the consumer’s windows, generates a new form of education around plastic recycling and waste management 

By designing an organic recycling pattern, from collecting and sorting to product injection and selling, we aim to solve the Sustainable Development goals #12 “Responsible consumption and production”.

Our modular solution focuses on the next three sub-categories of this global challenge: 

12.1 Implement the 10-year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production, all countries taking action, with developed countries taking the lead, taking into account the development and capabilities of developing countries

12.5 By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse

12.8 By 2030, ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature

Besides, by having a manual collect we can sort the plastic before putting it in the bin which generates a lot of cost all over the recycling line. With human exchange we can guarantee a quality sorting, and product evaluation to recycling. 

Berliners > waste collection & chairs-to-door & TeufelsBerg booklet

Our very first target are our beloved local citizens : the worldly famous Berliners (cf.JFK). We want to tackle their waste management where they generate it, at their home. A lot of Berliners are willing to act for the sustainable transition and already supporting local actions toward sustainability. This sociotype, is looking for new iconic sustainable products and might not have a car to transport chairs. 

Berlin tourists > Selling sunglass of recycled plastic

In Berlin over a 12 million tourists visit the city every year. 30 years after the wall has fallen, it is a booming European megapole ready for the transition to sustainability, therefore we share that energy with our beloved visitors that generates a lot of waste, while never getting the feedback of it (pollution).

Raw Paradise > plastic collection and sorting + customer reach (direct selling) 

Last but not least, our partner RAW PARADISE, pillar of Precious Plastic Berlin, will be fed with high-quality plastic collection and sorting, saving them a lot of time and investment. In this way they will focus on machine building, production and manutention, what they are the are the best at.

A Mobile Recycling Factory

The PlastiCarGo is a new type of vehicle inserted inside a plastic recycling system. It aims to tackle the plastic waste management issue by collecting and sorting the materials directly where it is consumed : at people’s home. Based on a handcart wagon model, we develop a modular breakthrough design made with the Precious Plastic’s productions techniques. 

The core concept is to offer the experience of circularity by synthesising the recycling loop into three configurations of cargo wagon : 

• PlastiCarGo Model A : Recycling tank 

We designed custom-made containers to fit the 6-slot frame that allows the collection and the sorting of the six main types of plastic to recycle. The fitted top cover includes a pressing tools that shows from the exterior the level of plastic inside the bins (Not included in 3D model)   

• PlastiCarGo Model B : Light Injection Machine  

Based on the Precious Plastic blueprints, we are developing a mobile injection machine that can work anywhere on solid ground. The goal is to decentralize the production of plastic object in order to create a product only when it has found its consumer. We allow them to select their ganulates so their can design their own Spy-glasses. 

• PlastiCarGo Model C : OneMore Chair Assembly Line

While recycling their own waste we want to offer the possibility to locals to instantly close the loop. Buying a chair is always a struggle, so we decided to bring our very own assembly line [of the new chair designed in Berlin By Anton Methegan] right down their house or flat. With only 3 different parts, the OneMore chair can be easily separated and reassembled in the street with only 4 tall screws!

An Organic Mobility Pattern

This innovative production and selling pattern allows us to pursue our education on plastic recycling up to selling daily life product. The Iconic wagon wheels made out of recycled plastic are crying for ecology. They induce a slower and more interactive mobility capable of changing instantly the impact of people and make them live a nature-connected experience. 

This semi-industrial production pattern is aim to be shared as a open-source model through the Precious Plastic Community and therefore, is much more likely to be hacked by DIY “afrofuturist” innovators all over the developing world. 

Our product is innovative in many ways. The first one as an automotive design we tackle the pollutant heavy car industry and we are proposing a low-tech solutions to easily scale to other European cities and developing countries. 

Secondly, we decided in order to reduce starting cost to decentralised our factory and assembly line on those handcarts. Our ancient technology is questioning our relation to plastic and the industry but as well our interaction as co-citizens. 

Finally, have a modular plateforme, tremendously reduce production cost so that on the same chassis we can configure our three models. 

And as a system, we believe our solutions is even more innovative as we tackle the waste management issue right where it starts, on the street in front of the houses and restaurants as well as in public parks or around lakes that Berliners love to go on the weekends. 

This local/human contact is our gold. Exchanging plastic with knowledge can propose a tangible alternative to current patterns of plastic recycling. When a citizen try to recycle a waste that we cannot, it is not presumptuous to say that they will try not to buy the same packaging the next time. 

Precious Plastic is a project trying to boost plastic recycling worldwide. 

It is a global community of hundreds of people working towards a solution to plastic pollution. Knowledge, tools and techniques are shared online, for free. So everyone can contribute to the project with their skills & knowledge. 

Precious Plastic - create things from plastic : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdUkOjIP0Ok

At the end, Precious Plastic is a bottom-up solution that allows citizens that want to save the planet from plastic waste to build their own micro-factory and selling their products. Comparable to a “MadMax” type of engineering, we believe that plastic craftsmanship with self-build machine bring a lot of character to recycled plastic products. Besides, the marble effect created with handmade compression defines a strong identity with colorful and organic patterns.

But this technology has some limits regarding the scalability, as manual processes are time consuming and not effective. With PlastiCarGo, we want to push that processes into a new dimension by reaching semi-industrial production while keeping as much as possible human interactions all over the product life. 

Berlin is one of the most disruptive city of world with a large number of people educated to ecology, therefore we believe it is the place to start a new global revolution for plastic. 

By enabling people to effectively recycle directly on the street we ensure the loop process in an organic way. That organic pattern generated by the collection of plastic waste is facilitating to the education and transmission of ecological behaviour. We are creating a NEW SOCIAL CONTEXT ON THE STREET OF BERLIN, recycle is now fun and practical.

The PlastiCarGo is a modular tools looking for scaling with deep contact with people and slow tempo working style in harmony with nature. Thus, by installing a stand in front of a famous berlin club or monument, we can transmit that eco-culture to tourists visiting the city, willing to bring back home a cultural experience. 

Our key to success is our mobility and adaptability, by having a light vehicle action by human strength we grow organically to most of the locations in Berlin and on the Planet. With the intention to share our model as open source, we can support and be supported by the Precious plastic community around the globe. 

The new social interaction created in the street is the most powerful way we found to share our vision of a plastic waste free world: everything should be recycled ! 

As concept with interaction prototype, we are expecting to start the production and selling of chairs in September while making first contact by collecting plastic in an empirical way. 

In summer 2020, we want to have reach over a million people from our 3,75 millions of inhabitants and 13 Millions tourists. 

By 2025, we plan to monitor Berlin waste recycling system hubbed at Teufelsberg Plastic Town. Taking care of a large part of Berliners’ plastic waste. 

Our goals within the next year is after prototyping our first 3-configurations of PlastiCarGo handcart, we shall launch effectively our organic loop. With an objective of 100 pieces of glasses and chairs per month, our primary goal is to reach the stage of selling 1000 pieces of each product (Spy-glasses & Chairs). substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse of plastic collected in Berlin. 

As it is an early bird concept, we shall set up legals and shape a full-time team in order to launch a kickstarter along. 

In Five years, we want our PlastiCarGo be at every corner of Berlin, collecting, sorting and monitoring our waste and create a “Circus market” for circular product. 

In terms of monitoring our plastic recycling pattern we target more than one million ton new products made of recycled polymers, this includes the PlastiCarGo wheels, chassis and containers as well as our market products. 

The idea from the beginning is to make that vision of recycling town happen in the iconic Teufelsberg NSA surveillance station right outside of Berlin. 

With 15 units making a CA of 2M€/year, we could eventually settle in Teufelsberg keeping the organic organization with a  moonshot goal recycling 1 million ton a year. 

As developed countries should take the lead, we want to make Berlin the world capital for large scale plastic recycling and find that place as the optimum location to vehicle that vision. 

What it takes to build the PlastiCarGo model >> 

Jaden - Precious Plastic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlsAw1LlnCs

This is an early bird concept! We believe we can change the world with it. We have a month to build the craziest business model, please help us!

Anton Methegan, Paris, France & Berlin, Germany : Full-time / Founder, CEO - Industrial designer & Artistic Director [Biophilic Designer] 

Raphael Difoggia, Berlin, Germany  : Part-time / Business developer 

Dr. Friedrich Schönefeld, Munich, Germany : COO 

Lars Zimmermann, Berlin, Germany, (Professor of circular design, philosopher) [Mifactory.de], Advisor 

After MOB, the multi modal mobility system at TU Delft and RIVERGREEN, the bio-autonomous shuttle for RATP, PlastiCarGo is the latest mobility solution by Anton Methegan and its first industrial project since he came back in Berlin in 2019 after co-founding a startup in the space tech back in 2016. 

Based at the Impact Hub Berlin inside a strong community of social innovators, we are willing to use it as a basecamp before moving to our moonshot goal of buying Teufelsberg to fund the first plastic town.  

By September we will have our first working prototype and maybe generating revenues with chairs. 

https://antonmethegan.com/studio-lab/more-is-less/

Impact Hub Berlin : Co-working & event space, Social entrepreneur network

Raw Paradise, Berlin, Germany : Supplier / Partner 

We want to join MIT Solve network to make benefit of our biophilic design expertise to other global innovators. 

We want to use this event to get global visibility and find tech talent. 

Impact Hub Berlin 

Impact Hub x WWF (plastic prevention)
Circular Berlin 
Precious Plastic
European Union
Automotive Group (GM?)
MIT Solve

We will use the 25000€ to set up the production pattern.