Since 2021, two women with a passion for sustainability, Metamorfica Lab, have been making unique and playful objects from common household waste in Bogotá, Colombia. Guided by their philosophy that we should try not to create waste but give purpose to the waste that already exists, their mission is also to educate their community through workshops and guided discussions.

A country in metamorphosis

Formerly known as one of the most dangerous places on earth, Colombia has completely turned their story around since the 2000s. Today, the country is considered one of the best places for ecotourism, showcasing more biodiversity than anywhere else. Among other things, Colombia has increasingly banned single-use plastics since 2024, with fines starting at around 31000 USD for offending business owners. 

So, in a lot of ways, Colombia is way ahead of the rest of the world when it comes to plastic recycling and environmental protection. But even still, each Colombian produces 24kg of plastic waste a year, in the form of old shampoo bottles or broken toys etc. So, what do you do with that stuff?

Two Marias, one goal

Metaforica Lab was founded in 2021 by two Marias: María Alejandra Rodriguez (Maria Alejandra) and María Paula Triana Monroy (Maria). They met each other in college and realized they have a common passion for recycling plastics. So, they started “Metaforica Lab”. The name is a play on the word “metamorphosis”, or “complete transformation,” because Maria Alejandra and Maria wanted to take the discarded plastic around them and give it a complete transformation. 

“Precious plastic has helped in our development by giving us the guide to build the machines we have been using for 5 years, it has been a great platform to know what people are working on, so it is always a big reference and inspiration, it also has given us a great sense of community.”

Metaforica Lab also follows a philosophy of buying and using as much second-hand materials as possible, even for things like their machine parts. So, they have a second-hand Precious Plastic shredder. And when they made their own sheetpress, they used the blueprints from Precious Plastic, but adapted the design so they could build it with second-hand, local parts. As they say themselves: 

“By buying fewer of the things we don’t need, we do more to care for the planet. The best waste is the one that is never created.”

From shampoo bottles to beautiful home goods

Most prominently, Metaforica Lab make furniture and interior design items, like desks, book stands, or side tables. 

Why this focus? Because they only want to make things that someone would actually use on a regular basis. They also design the items to be modular, so you can easily fix them, further cutting down on waste. In a way, the furniture pieces by Metaforica Lab remind you of IKEA furniture, with the elegant, modular look, only the items are handmade from waste - so, they’re cooler!

Early on, the Marias identified that they needed to get good HDPE plastic, as this material is especially durable and easy to shape. HDPE is commonly used in bottles of shampoo, conditioner, lotion, detergent, etc… They educate their community about recycling and what items to look for, so local residents and businesses regularly donate HDPE waste to the workshop. 

Being the change, inspiring the change

Today, Metaforica Lab has anywhere from 2-10 employees, depending on the season and the project. Since starting 2021, they have more than doubled their revenue each year. Thanks to collaborations with other local recyclers, shops, and sustainable design awards, their small plastic recycling workspace has built a strong reputation in Colombia and even internationally. 

Metaforica Lab sell their items at locally affordable prices, so recycled products become accessible to as many people as possible. Customers range from private home owners to schools. For example, they have made 170 desks for nearby and rural schools that otherwise have limited access to furniture - each table recycles around 35 shampoo bottles and gives students a tangible example of recycling. 

Being the change, inspiring the change

They offer workshops that are practical introductions to working with different types of plastics. But they also host “Sustatinability Gatherings”, that are more about building deeper habits or sharing ideas around sustainability. In either case, these events are inspiring people to not only become aware of their own habits around plastic, but connect with each other to come up with deeper forms of change. 

One participant says: “these workshops have a very special component: they build community. They connect you with other people who want to learn, create and rethink the way we consume and reuse materials. When I left the workshop, I not only took a keychain with me, but a new perspective on the impact we can generate with concrete actions.”

Overall, they know that their work is only one small part of the solution, but they aim to multiply the impact by inspiring others. As Maria A. puts it: “We are very aware that personal grains of sand are very important, but those that make it collective are much more important”. One day, Maria Alejandra and Maria hope that plastic pollution will be a problem of the past - like dinosaurs. This is why they add dinosaurs to their branding - a playful nod to the larger mission!

Support Precious Plastic to make more Recycling Workspaces possible

Metaforica Lab is one of more than 1000 workspaces in the Precious Plastic community: Locally owned, solving local plastic waste problems and creating local jobs, with the support of the open source plans and resources by Precious Plastic. 

Now, Precious Plastic wants to help more grassroots workspaces to start plastic recycling in their location - even and especially in places where conventional recycling isn’t possible. So, we’re raising funds for “Precious Plastic Version 5”, to develop better machines, hire people to answer community questions, and find even more income streams for our recyclers. If you want to support us, donate to our crowdfunding campaign today, thank you!

⚡Support Version 5 today ⚡