We are a nonprofit associated with Smart Campus at The Ohio State University, implementing the Precious Plastic

closed-loop recycling process developed by Dave Hakkens. We are the “Community solution to plastic pollution”. Our
goals are to engage with the diverse Buckeye community, inspire people to create with their plastic waste, and educate
about recycling through educational outreach, recycling programs, and community demos.
Plastic is an essential component of our economy; plastic’s ubiquity and relative low cost has led people to disregard its
finite nature. The life of a plastic bottle is generally a short one; the consumer buys the bottle, drinks the product, and
tosses it. But, plastic does not go away. Almost every piece of plastic created still exists today; that old toothbrush, your
single-use bottles, and countless shopping bags for example. Unfortunately when you toss that plastic bottle, it usually
ends up in our oceans, waterways, and communities; causing negative impacts on ecosystems and our environment at
large. We don’t like plastic waste in our community and we want to change the way we use this material by first creating
4 recycling machines, a shredder, extruder, compressor, and injection machine, that everyone can use to create from their
plastic waste.
Campus based workspace:
We have acquired a temporary workspace at the Center for Automotive Research for the Summer and beginning of
Autumn semester. However, a permanent workspace located closer to would allow for easier access to the recycling
machines and more engagement with students. This initiative encourages environmentally conscious members from both
the university community and Columbus-area community to collaborate to reduce the plastic waste of the Buckeye
community. For example, Mechanical Engineering students are encouraged to design and construct the machines and
provide workspace-users with the knowledge to safely operate the machines and create with their plastic materials.
Business students are encouraged to fundraise and market this initiative, thereby applying classroom skills while gaining
real-world professional experience and connecting with the community. Members of the College of Design are
encouraged to utilize the workspace and work with plastic as a medium in exciting ways. These designs could be used to
promote the project among the community and explore the limitations of the workspace.

Engagement/Outreach:
We have contacted Worthington City Schools, specifically Michelle Gouhin from Linworth Alternative Program and
Vicki Gnezda the director of communications for Worthington Schools, to begin developing our educational outreach
program. A sustainable community must consciously be aware of its environmental impact in order to implement
sustainable designs. Educating a community on its relationship with the environment allows it to be sustainable. This
educational outreach program would demonstrate the precious plastic process and educate on society’s relationship with
natural systems. This outreach program would design and create educationally adapted plastic processing machines to
demonstrate the process to schools, outreach program events, and other community organizations. This outreach program
would schedule experts, through the university, to educate the community on environmental well-being. This project
would provide workspaces for the Buckeye community to create with their plastic and get hands-on-experience with the
recycling process. Through these innovative workspaces, the project would educate people on mold designs, plastic
material properties, plastic interaction with the environment, and other relevant educational materials.

Ford C3 Grant:
We were recently notified that we made it to the top 20 finalists for the Ford College Community Challenge. As part of
this grant, we must provide a high-quality video, approximately 2 minutes long, that highlights the project goals and
community impact. In addition, a hi-res file of OSU’s logo, a detailed promotions plan, social media links, relevant
university website links, and PR contacts for this project.
Member List:

Member Email Phone Number

John Schlichting schlichting.13@osu.edu 614-804-5952

Jose Lozada lozada.10@osu.edu 614-906-4353

Kenny Clarke clarke.291@osu.edu 704-775-8116

Dustin Goetz goetz.110@osu.edu 740-331-2911

Chris Chia chia.35@osu.edu 614-570-3676

Brian Waibl Polania waiblpolania.1@osu.edu 614-356-0413

Dominique Hadad hadad.7@osu.edu 614-339-9799

Matthew Haight haight.20@osu.edu 224-645-4161

Edison Gu gu.649@osu.edu 614-270-2477

Cameron Zelen zelen.2@osu.edu 513-833-6226

Lauren DeAngelis deangelis.37@osu.edu 708-941-9416

In addition to the Smart Campus members:

Danny Freudiger - freudiger.1@osu.edu

Brian Rahman - rahman.126@osu.edu

Beth Snoke - snoke.27@osu.edu

Social Media Outlets:

www.u.osu.edu/preciousplastic

https://www.facebook.com/BuckeyePreciousPlastic/

http://twitter.com/BuckeyePlastics/

http://vimeo.com/BuckeyePreciousPlastic

http://instagram.com/buckeyepreciousplastic/