The ReCap Project
Giving Plastic Needle Caps a Second Life
Impact to Date :
~ 340,368 Pieces of Plastic Kept out of Landfills / Incinerated
893 Pounds of Plastic Saved
Did You Know?
- Plastic waste contributes to climate change and increases CO2 levels.
- Only 9% of the waste we put in the recycling bin actually gets recycled.
- Medical plastics are designed to be single use for patient safety, however contributes to large amounts of waste generated every day.
- We ingest an amount of plastic equivalent to a credit card every week.
Our Mission
Our mission is to reduce medical plastic waste. Many medical plastics are only used once, completely safe, and thrown away after single use. This creates a huge amount of waste that is incinerated or thrown away. The ReCap Project’s goal is to take that waste and recycle it into useful products, giving it a new life.
The Process
We collect clean needle safety caps from vaccine clinics, medical offices, and pharmacies. Once we have them, they are separated by color, and then shredded into fine pieces. The processed plastics can be made into clipboards, flower pots, and other items.
When making clipboards, the plastic shreds are sprinkled into a mold, which is then placed in an oven for 35 minutes. The mold is set to cool, and then the clipboard is ready once hardware clips are added.
In the future, we plan to make more significant and long lasting products, such as furniture.
Giving Plastic Needle Caps a Second Life
Join Us
Do you know someone who wants to help donate clean medical plastic?
Are you someone who works at a clinic and would like to help?
Do you have knowledge about working with plastic and have ideas?
If so, please contact us!