If you've stumbled across the term "Precious Plastic" while researching plastic recycling machines, you're not alone. It's one of the most talked-about movements in small-scale, DIY plastic recycling — and understanding it is the first step to figuring out whether it's right for you.
What Is Precious Plastic?
Precious Plastic is an open-source movement, started by designer Dave Hakkens, that gives anyone the tools to recycle plastic waste into new products — without needing an industrial recycling facility. The idea is simple: take plastic that would otherwise end up in a landfill, shred it into flake, and turn it into something new using accessible machines like shredders, extruders, and injection presses.
What started as an open-source blueprint has grown into a global community of workshops, makers, and small businesses, all building on the same core idea — recycling plastic shouldn't require a factory.
The Core Machines
Most Precious Plastic setups start with one machine: the shredder. A shredder takes bulky plastic waste (bottles, caps, containers) and breaks it down into small, uniform flakes that can be melted, pressed, or injected into new products.
From there, workshops typically add:
- Crushers — for pre-breaking larger or tougher plastic pieces before shredding
- Extrusion machines — for turning flake into filament or molded shapes
- Injection and compression machines — for producing finished products from flake
But almost every plastic recycling journey begins the same way: with a reliable shredder.
Should You Build or Buy?
The original Precious Plastic blueprints are free and open-source, which means you can technically build your own shredder from scratch if you have the tools, time, and metalworking skills. Plenty of makers do exactly that.
But building from scratch takes real time — sourcing steel, cutting blades, wiring motors, and troubleshooting assembly issues before you shred a single piece of plastic. For many people, especially those starting a small business or workshop on a timeline, a fully-built shredder or a complete kit gets you recycling in days instead of months.
Getting Started the Right Way
If you're just beginning, here's what we'd recommend thinking through first:
- What plastic will you actually be recycling? Blade count and mesh size affect what materials shred cleanly.
- How much volume do you expect? A hobby setup and a small business have very different needs.
- Do you want to build or buy? Both are valid — it depends on your timeline and skill set.
We build our shredders, kits, and crushers right here in our New York workshop, so machines ship fully assembled and ready to run — no sourcing parts or guessing at assembly.
Not Sure Where to Start?
Every setup is different, and picking the wrong blade count or mesh size can mean redoing work later. If you're not sure which machine fits your project, contact us and we'll help you figure out what makes sense — no pressure, just guidance from people who build these machines every day.
Browse our current lineup: Shredders, Shredder Kits, and Crushers.