Precious Plastic Monash (PPM) is a multidisciplinary student team based in Monash University in Clayton, Victoria, that is dedicated to tackling plastic pollution through the engagement of the local community with a mobile plastic recycling unit based on open-source plans from Dutch designer Dave Hakkens.

The brief required the creation of a product using the recycling unit that could be recycled again at the end of its life, so the scope was narrowed down to a single aim: to demonstrate the potential of plastic as a reusable and valued material.

The Precious Plasticaster is an electric guitar based on the popular Fender Stratocaster (Leo Fender, 1954). While recycled plastic guitars are not a new idea, where this design differs is the purpose for which it was created and the materials used to create it.

Plastic pollution is a global problem particularly in light of Australia’s recycling issue and surrounding international events. The Plasticaster incorporates recycled plastic as a way to bring to attention the possibility of using plastic not just in cheap throwaways but in valued products - the weight, pattern and finish are all unique to this instrument and cannot be found anywhere else in the world.

The preconception that recycled plastic is inferior to virgin plastic, and the notion that plastic is cheap and discardable, prevents consumers from seeing value in recycled plastic products. As an educational tool, the Precious Plasticaster has enormous potential to bring to attention the possibility of using recycled plastic in products with high value. It has been rewarding to bring the guitar to public events such as the Ballarat Begonia Festival 2019 in Ballarat, Australia, and see and hear people change their minds about plastic when they pick it up and feel that it is unlike anything else.

The body and neck stripe of the guitar were crafted from shredded recycled polypropylene (PP) while the dot inlays, knob and backplate are recycled polyactic acid (PLA). The neck is handmade from American hard maple. As a musical instrument, it is relatable, interactive, and engaging with a wide audience. The craftsmanship is of the highest quality possible and thoroughly challenged my skills to create true sentimental value. By marrying these elements, the Plasticaster elevates its reprocessed materials to the same preciousness as more traditionally valued wood and metal yet can still be recycled at the end of its life cycle.