from trash to tiles the trashpresso upcycles waste into architectural décor

a futuristic solution to plastic pollution arrives in milan this april as part of the city’s design week 2018. trashpresso is the world’s first giant portable and solar-powered recycling plant that turns trash into tiles.

all images courtesy of trashpresso

created by miniwiz the trashpresso compacts recycling into five simple steps: shredding materials before washing, air drying, dehumidifying, and baking it into hexagonal molds. the result is durable, long-lasting and weather resistant architectural tiles made from PET plastic. in its previous installations, the 40-foot recycling plant was accompanied by large black spheres made of recycled plastic lending a black canvas for the tiles to be applied.

since it was unveiled in shanghai in 2017, the trashpresso has impressed audiences in beijing, london and china’s tibetan plateau, with its ability to upcycle up to 50kg of waste per hour. it also leaves a zero water footprint, as every liter it uses is looped back through three steps of filtration: quartz sand filter, ultrafiltration, and reverse osmosis. as well as italy, its next stops include north america in the second trimester of 2018. the trashpresso will be showcased at the milan design week 2018 from april 15th to the 22nd.