This article is part of Precious Plastic, a One Army project tackling the plastic waste problem. You can learn more
here.
It’s almost summer, with white beaches and sunny seasides already in our heads. In Greece, Stam & friends are getting ready for summer season building machines and making products for tourists.
Right there, on the island of Naxos, is a little plastic workshop making lots of cool things from recycled plastic. Actually, it’s a windsurf school- with a precious spin. The guy that made it all happen is Stamatis Promponas, or Stam as he likes to be called. He’s an elevator engineer in the rest of the year but in the summer he’s becoming a windsurf trainer and a plastic recycler at Laguna Beach Park.
When working on his Precious Plastic workshop he has a great help from his wife, and from the tourists.
Yep, you read that good – tourists!
Stam heard about Precious Plastic around a year ago, 7 months and some difficulties later (like a broken arm for example) he finished the shredder and injection machine. Also, his arm was good again so the melting could begin! 💥
“Beaches themselves are mostly clean, but the sea is not always in a good mood and throws some rubbish on the beach.” And that’s when Stam and his friends jump in action!
Besides him and his friends, some guests are also collecting plastic from the beach. Instead of just sayin’ “Thanks!” Stam is handing out rewards for the good work. Guests are rewarded with some of the products he’s making with the injection mold.
Products range from key rings, whirligigs orc- all made from plastic collected on the beach. Actually, you make your own reward which is really cool.
“Construction of the machines wasn’t so hard” he says while already planning to build more. First of all, he wants to make the extruder. Along with that, he also wants to change injection pressure mechanism from human to hydraulic. He’s also keen to buy a CNC machine so he can produce his own moulds and make some more cool stuff with the plastic he’s collecting.
We wish Stam all the best with his project, plans and good waves for his windsurf!
You can contact Stam directly here or find out more about Laguna Beach Park on their website here.
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