Paste Lab in Indonesia built two Precious Plastic sheetpresses and used them to transform over 150 tonnes of recycled plastic - roughly the weight of 30 adult elephants! They turn all this trash into beautifully designed pieces of furniture, wall art, and more - while making an impact that is ever spreading to the public.

Bright orange, deep blue, or specks of white on fiery red: The aesthetic appeal of Paste Lab’s recycled plastic sheets and products is undeniable. Using the Precious Plastic sheet press, this bespoke design studio and recycling workshop has managed to leverage the power of design to turn Indonesia’s vast amount of plastic waste into beautiful works of interior design, architecture and art.

The elegant aesthetic is no accident: Paste Lab say in their own words:

“Others see mess, we see miracles. The process is no longer a complication but a joyful celebration — a dance where forgotten waste is reborn. There’s no second earth, but we can create a second life for plastic waste.”

From discarded plastics to new products, PasteLab is a full-service recycling workspace. They take plastic waste, crush it into flakes, and mix it together into appealing patterns. Then, the flakes are melted on a sheet press: The plastic is heated while being compressed under high pressure, so it becomes a solid sheet of flat material. The design for the sheet press comes directly from the Precious Plastic community. And the sheets it makes have unique textures, fit for making art out of them: For example, the pattern “Sagara” is a sky blue with white flakes in it, “Orion” looks like black quartz, and “Sarira” almost looks like a cherry-swirl ice cream. Simply beautiful!

Indonesia: Lacking Plastic Waste Management

As the fourth most populous country in the world, Indonesia is also one of the biggest polluters when it comes to plastic waste. The country produces 3.2 million tons of unmanaged plastic waste a year, of which about 1.29 million tonnes ends up in the sea, according to the UN. Or to put it another way: 10 billion plastic carry bags, equal to 85,000 tonnes, are released into Indonesia’s local environment each year. 

Paste Lab: Waste Not Wasted

That’s the kind of world Paste Lab works in, and they are making waves: In Yogyakarta, Indonesia, they have already recycled over 150 tonnes since 2021 - that’s the weight of 30 adult African elephants! But how do they do it?

Paste Lab goes for the big players, that is, companies: They offer them a structured plastic waste disposal system, so that all that trash doesn’t go to landfill or the environment to begin with. 

And what can you do with all that trash? Paste Lab makes true art out of it! They make a range of products, such as benches, tables, chairs, prayer beeds, phone charging stations, or even wall art panels. Whether it’s an item for daily use or mainly a design piece, the products come in a wide range of colors and patterns, all without adding new dyes, simply by using the colors of the materials collected.

A whole range of partners

Working with businesses and public institutions has proven to be a smart strategy. Here are some striking examples: 

From trash to school benches

So far, 198kg of plastic waste has been made into benches for 11 schools, with the aim to scale up to 60 schools. The project gives needed equipment to school children while also becoming a way to introduce plastic recycling to them.

Furniture and Art Facade at Arah Coffee

In 2025, Paste Lab took 750kg of durable HDPE plastic (stands up to water, sun and termites) and turned it into tables, seats, and a wall art facade for the Arah Coffee shop. The result speaks for itself!

Over 2 tons of Plastic: Window screen facade Samirono Hotel

The Samirono Hotel in Yakyakarta has 10 rooms and needed custom window screens to shade against the tropical sun (so-called “Krepyak”). So, Paste Lab took 2,2 tons of plastic bottle caps and made a custom facade all around the front and back of the building. It’s a sleek look, practical, and environmentally a win!

Overall, Paste Lab has plenty of project partners to show. But they also have another branch of work: taking plastic recycling education to the public.

Collection bins and education workshops

Recycling awareness starts with education. So, Paste Lab goes to regional events with a mobile setup of machines, and teaches workshops on plastic recycling for businesses and schools. They also install collection bins (made from 15kg of recycled plastic) in shops across Indonesia. This invites locals to bring their plastic waste to a designated place they already know. Steps like these are raising awareness in local communities, which makes it easier for people to rethink how they use single-use plastic. 

Using Precious Plastic machines to turn waste into a business

Paste Lab is one of the many businesses worldwide that took the ideas of Precious Plastic into their community. And that’s what Precious Plastic is all about: we provide the open-source designs, and brilliant individuals like those at Paste Lab bring the creativity. 

Right now we are working on building Version 5 to keep plastic recycling accessible to small-scale businesses and initiatives wherever they are. Most industrial machines cost thousands and are locked behind patents, but we believe recycling technology shouldn't be a trade secret. Help us keep all of our knowledge and resources accessible by making a donation today.

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