Utilization of Polypropylene Plastic Waste for Visual and Textural Effects in Wall-Tile Making

Abstract

This research is an experimental process of polypropylene (PP) plastic material in search for novelty values in the form of physical properties, textures and visual effects for decoration design. This research is based on the availability of plastic material as a choice of recycled material in the design of functional products. The purpose of this research is to produce decorative products that have the character of the visuals. The result of this research is a wall tile from a coaster combination from the plastic recycling process. The design has a novelty in the form of the application of the plastic material recycling process and visual effects in the form of color and texture. Materials for plastic processing can come from plastic bottles, plastic bottle caps, gallon caps, and the rest of production from large-scale industries. Experiments were melting out the plastic ore using a semi-machinal method that requires heat and metal molding and then semi-machinal processed using an injection molding machine to produce a wall-tile product. In this case, the author uses an experimental method through material exploration to find novelty values and see opportunities from exploration results in the form of decoration products.