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Precious Plastic Melbourne

Event - Teacher PD Micro-Recycling Workshop

Event - Teacher PD Micro-Recycling Workshop

$100.00 AUD
$100.00 AUD
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Session

Take sustainability out of the textbook and onto the production floor.

Designed specifically for Victorian educators, this intensive 2-hour professional development session bridges the gap between circular economy theory and real-world manufacturing. Hosted by PPM Education Facilitator and qualified Plastics Engineer, Bill Verhagen, this hands-on workshop equips you with practical material science knowledge, curriculum-aligned frameworks, and ready-to-use resources to inspire your students and pitch circular initiatives back at your school.

Whether your school is exploring its first sustainability unit or looking to establish an in-house micro-recycling space, this session provides a tactile look at how plastic waste is sorted, shredded, remanufactured, and transformed into high-value products.

WHAT'S INCLUDED:
• 2-hour hands-on workshop - Guided operation and live processing in our Recycle Lab (in Mitcham, VIC).
• Physical takeaways - Keep everything you manufacture during the session.
• DIY Precious Plastic Workspace book - A printed comprehensive manual on open-source recycling setup and safety.
• Complete presentation slide deck - For use directly in your classroom or to share with school leadership.
• Official PD Certificate - Certified record of completed Professional Development hours.
• Education Program info pack - Printed resources and Victorian Curriculum v2.0 mapping designed to help you easily pitch incursions, excursions, or workspace machinery to your school administration.

*Multiple Attendees: If booking on behalf of a school or registering multiple teachers, please use the "Special Instructions" field on your cart page to provide the Full Name, Email Address, and School/Organisation for every individual attendee. This ensures correct details are documented on all official PD Certificates.

Venue & Parking

Address:
18/8-10 Monomeeth Dr, Mitcham

Parking:
Some on-street parking is generally available.

Public Transport:
• 16-minute walk from Mitcham Station
• 16-minute walk from Heatherdale Station

What To Wear / Bring

For a comfortable and safe workshop experience:
• Closed-toe shoes are are a must.
• We encourage you to tie back long hair.
• Leave long dangling jewellery at home for optimal comfort and safety whilst recycling.

We'll provide any necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) during your workshop to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience.

FAQs & Ticket Policy

Does my school need to own Precious Plastic machinery for this to be useful?
No. This session is designed for any educator looking to bring authentic material science and circular economy concepts into their existing curriculum.

What is the refund or transfer policy? Tickets are fully transferable to another staff member at your school at any time prior to the event start. Cancellations made up to 7 days prior are eligible for a full refund.

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Inside The Recycle Lab: A Modular Micro-Recycling Line

During your session, you’ll step straight onto the production floor and experience our fully modular recycling setup in action. Designed as a real-world model for STEM and Design education, you’ll rotate through the key stages of plastic transformation:

  • Sorting and Identification station at Precious Plastic Melbourne Recycle Lab, showing a character categorising colourful plastic bottle caps by polymer type on a wooden workbench with storage tubs

    Station 01: Sorting & Identification

    Before we melt anything, we have to understand the material. Often a highlight for younger scientists and material-curious teams, this stage strips back the mystery of polymers. We’ll learn to identify and sort plastics by type and colour - a critical step to ensure a high-quality outcome in the circular economy.

  • Recycling workshop participant using a Zephyr Bros Benchtop Shredder to transform plastic waste into colorful flakes at the Mechanical Shredding station

    Station 02: Mechanical Shredding

    This is where the transformation begins. Get hands-on with our Aussie-made plastic shredders to reduce bulky plastic waste into clean, uniform flakes - now transformed into the 'raw' material we need for the next stage of the journey!

  • The Melt and Mould station featuring a participant using professional Zephyr Bros injection and extrusion machinery to process recycled plastic flakes into precision-moulded products

    Station 03: The Melt & Mould

    Witness the science of heat + pressure. Using our Zephyr Bros. extrusion and injection machinery, you’ll process your flake into its final form - transforming locally-sourced waste into a precision-moulded, functional product right before your eyes.

  • The Assembly and Finishing station at the Recycle Lab, where a character is hand-assembling a recycled plastic yo-yo from precision-moulded components on a wooden workbench

    Station 04: Assembly & Finishing

    Here, we move to the finished item. Depending on what you’ve crafted, this might involve technical assembly, or using sprue snips to tidy up edges. Whether you’re popping your creation onto a keychain, planting out succulents, or adding refills to your newly made pens, this is the moment where the loop is actually closed - by you.

Explore our impact, and previous events via our live Impact Map!