Biological Technologies
Upcycling Plastic Bags
School:
Naparima College
Teacher:
Mr. Aleemudeen Mohammed
Subject:
Technology Education
Group Members: Kadir Abdool
Caden Gayah
Jordan Mohomed
Rivaldo Samaroo
David Williams
Challenge Page
This term we were challenged to create an aesthetically pleasing item out of plastic bags
costing a total of fifty dollars that reflects local culture of Trinidad and Tobago while still being useful
in everyday tasks that we perform.
At a normal household in Trinidad and Tobago, plastic bags are very common around the
household as many of us have a drawer designated for plastic bags that we use for later use, like
carrying things around. However, plastic bags are not great for the environment and take a while to
dissolve when in water, as well as, its production emits toxic gases into the atmosphere (discussed
further down).
This project will trigger our brains to do some deep thought in what we can build with the
supplies and materials. This is part of Biological Technologies as it furthers our education in this
sector of industry.
1
Research
Statistic Showing the Amount of Plastic Bags Collected Every Day in the Week
Here is a table showing an approximate quantity of plastic bags that a family collects in the time
frame of one week;
DAY OF THE
SUPERMARKET
MARKET
PHARMACY
NEIGHBOUR
OTHER/FOOD
WEEK
# OF BAGS
COLLECTED
Sunday
11
2
1
2
0
16
Monday
0
0
0
0
0
0
Tuesday
0
0
0
0
0
0
Wednesday
0
1
0
1
0
2
Thursday
2
0
1
0
0
3
Friday
0
0
0
0
2
2
Saturday
0
0
0
1
4
5
13
3
2
4
6
28
TOTAL
2
Negative Effects of Plastic Bags on the Environment
This is a lot of bags with no efficient use from this point on. Many families may use a few of
these bags each week, but there is almost always a large of surplus of bags remaining. So where
do these bags go? Well, many of these end up in dumps and landfills, where they remain forever,
since plastic does not decompose.
The chemicals from plastic bags infiltrate the soil and gradually release toxic chemicals. They
inevitably decompose in the soil and plants/grass that grow from the soil will contain those
chemicals, with the unfortunate consequence that animals eat them and suffocate or die as a result.
Many plastic bags end up in the ocean where they negatively impact the surrounding
ecosystems. There is several wildlife that can be affected, including fishes, which can get stuck in
the plastic bags and die; turtles, which mistake these bags for jellyfish and attempt to eat them,
choking them to death. In fact, plastic bags in the ocean have been one of the leading causes of the
endangerment of many species of sea turtles, which are now under protection by law for these
reasons.
3
When fish eat micro plastics from other sources of plastic such as bottles, it affects the flow
of nutrients being taken up the food chain. This means that when humans consume the fish that eat
micro plastics, we also consume a portion of those micro plastics. This can severely damage our
organs over time and lead to health difficulties later in life.
4
Possible Designs for that can be Utilized to Upscale Plastic Bags
Crocheted rug/placemat:
This is a good design, there is aesthetic and it is useful. You can make it by folding and cutting the
bags into strips then using a crocheted hook to put it together.
Hammock/Swinging Chair:
This can be useful and very relaxing. You can make it by using ply wood, hooks, rope and the plastic
bags. You would connect the plastic bags and the rope and hooking them to the ply wood.
5
Slippers/Sandals:
These are very effective as they are free and necessary. You can make them by intertwining the
plastic bags and using a cut out of a slipper stick the intertwined plastic on the slipper.
Basket:
This is easy to make and effective. To make it you cut the bags into strips and then braid them, then
start creating the basket and go up the side with the braids.
6
Tote bag:
A tote bag can be made using a similar approach to the basket, involving the crochet method.
7
Explanation of Three Best Solutions
Crocheted Rug:
Using an easy crochet technique, turn your plastic grocery bags into sturdy rugs. If you know how
to crochet basic stitches, you can make these colourful and easy-to-clean rugs for the back hallway
or under the kitchen sink in no time. Rugs can be used to keep dining chairs from scratching your
wood floor, as a place to wipe your feet at the door, or to relieve leg fatigue in the kitchen in front of
the sink. Rugs bring texture, colour, and pattern to any space.
Basket:
A basket is a container usually made of stiff fibres and can also be made from a variety of materials
such as wood splints, runners, and cane, but in this particular instance we will use upcycled plastic
bags as a substitute. Baskets are commonly used for harvesting, storage, and transportation;
however, customized baskets are used as sieves for a number of purposes such as cooking,
processing seeds or grains, tossing gambling pieces, rattles, fans, fish traps, and laundry.
8
Tote Bag:
A tote bag is a sizable, often unfastened bag with parallel straps that protrude from the pouch's
sides. Tote bags are frequently used as reusable shopping bags. The primary function of a tote bag
is to serve as a convenient carryall, especially on those hectic days spent shopping or running
errands. In simple terms, a tote bag is any bag of various sizes that lacks fasteners other than a set
of parallel handles on each side to hold the bag by.
9
Advantages of Three Best Solutions
Solution 1- Tote Bag

Easy carryall- Used to put all sorts of items and can be designed to easily carry around.

Size – Can be made in various sizes to fit varying quantities of items
Solution 2- Crocheted Rug

Decorative- It is very pleasing to the eye and can be use in places such as the kitchen or
dining.

Drying- You can also place this at your door so that people can dry their feet when coming
in.
Solution 3- Basket

Storage- You can use this in many ways to store different items

Multiple uses and decorative – Can be used for storage in different rooms of the home e.g.
kitchen for fruits and spices, living room for cushions and blankets, and other areas for
toiletries, accessories, keys and mail.
10
Disadvantages
Solution 1- Tote Bag

Light Items- You will not be able to carry heavy items as they can possibly damage the tote
bag.

Not Weather Proof- Water can seep through the bag and collect on the inside.
Solution 2- Crocheted Rug

Difficult to make- Since a rug is a large item it may be more difficult to make because you are
using the crocheted method.

Not Durable- If items are on top of the rug they can move and then damage it. When people
are walking on it repeatedly that can also damage it.
Solution 3- Basket

Not Enclosed- Since the basket remains open at all times, the items within the basket will be
exposed.

Not Easily Portable- You cannot easily carry around the basket as a storage device.
11
Decision Matrix
Criteria
Effectiveness
Aesthetic
Durability
Ease to Build
Culture
Total out of 25
Tote Bag
5
3
3
3
4
18
Crotched Rug
3
5
3
3
3
17
Basket
5
4
4
3
5
21
We chose the basket as our final option as it was the most versatile, all round item, it can
carry food and can hold any object in it because of its shape and weave style. The tote bag was a
great option, but after further inspection, we decided it was no longer a competitor to the basket as
the basket can do everything that a tote bag can do with the addition of holding heavier objects,
without looking to bulky. The crotched rug was an option until we looked at the effectiveness and its
cultural impact as those were the main point of the challenge given to us.
12
Detailed Sketch of the Final Solution
Above this is a sketch of a woven basket made from plastic bags. It states the dimensions
and the design we chose. We are not going to do it in pink but in white (pink was used in sketch
because it was made contours easier to recognise). It is 45 cm tall when including the handle and
should be sturdy enough to hold bread and store any item. The body is 20 cm in diameter and its
circumference is 62.38cm. Its volume would be able to hold 78.54m3 of items in it using the formula
1/4 π * d2 * h.
We are using the red lines in figure 1 to show that the walls of the body would not be sloped
but rather parallel to the base. This design is quite versatile compared to the rest and will capitalize
on the supplies we already have at home.
13
List of Materials Needed and their Costing
Item
Cost
Plastic Bag Free ($0)
Chopsticks
$10.00
Blow dryer
Free (Most people have it at home) or $42.00
Scissors
Free (Most people have it at home) or $10.00
Total
May range from $10.00 to $62.00
14
Steps in Building the Basket
There are several steps involved in creating the basket and these steps will be broken down in this
part of the project. The following is a list of all the steps that must be followed in order to build the
basket.
1) Gather all the materials needed to build the basket (many plastic bags, 10-20 chop sticks or
similar sticks with moderate integrity, hair dryer, scissors)
2) Cut the bags into strips roughly one inch wide.
3) These strips are to be layered with each other such that there two strips together.
4) Begin to crochet these strips in a ‘middle-across” pattern into a long rope.
5) Form a small spiral at first to be used as the middle of the base of the basket.
6) Insert the sticks through the spaces between the weaving plastic.
7) Continue the spiral, locking it through and around the sticks for stability.
8) Begin the spiral process up the side so that you start making a wall for the basket, after the
base has a 20 centimetre diameter.
9) Insert more sticks to uphold the sides of the basket for stability and integrity of the build.
10) Continue the upwards spiral while moving the strips around and through the sticks to create
a 25 centimetre wall.
11) Once you have done this, turn on the hair dryer and ensure that it is on a hot setting.
12) Using the hair dryer, focus the heated air stream at the top sides (inside and outside). This
will slightly melt the plastic, allowing the bags to hold together more tightly after being cooled
down.
15
Safety Procedures
During building the project we had to be cautious with the materials at hand. If not, we can damage
ourselves. In cases like this project however, not much safety procedures have to be taken. Here
are the few:
1) Wear gloves- when inserting the chopsticks into the basket, you can puncture your skin if
gloves are not worn, as well as you can get splinters from the wooden chopsticks. These can
be painful to deal with and can be avoided with the use of gloves.
2) Be careful when crocheting the strips into the rope as your hand can get caught in the crotchet
and cut off circulation. This is obviously bad because you can lose use of finger. Therefore,
use common sense and be careful with your finger placement on the strips.
3) Use safety scissors- in this project, scissors is used to cut the plastic bags into strips, and
sometimes, if you are not careful, the scissors can slip and cut your hand with the scissors
or even cut off your hand. Instead, use safety scissors so in the event you are in the position
to cut your hand, the scissors will penetrate your skin.
16
Testing of Completed Project
Criteria
Effectiveness
Aesthetic
Durability
Ease to Build
Culture
Total out of 25
Tote Bag
5
3
3
3
4
18
Crotched Rug
3
5
3
3
3
17
Basket
5
5
4
3
5
22

Effectiveness- After looking over the builds we think that we should keep this at a 5 out of 5.

Aesthetic- This category deserves a five after seeing it when in completed form and in action.

Durability- This grade stayed the same because it lived up to expatiations.

Ease to build- We think that this is a perfect grade for this criteria because of the different
weaving and techniques used.

Culture- This deserves to be marked fully due to how it’s been around for a long time in our
country and how much it is used here.
17
Future Scope
The purpose of this project was to see whether or not we could recycle the plastic bags that
we use on a daily basis into something useful. Our group was able to achieve this but we can
improve our design and implications of our project. Firstly, this can be used by anyone for most
ordinary purposes of a normal basket. You can use it as a gift basket, as a fruit basket, or for many
other purposes. Secondly, I think that we can improve on this project by using more plastic bags for
stronger braids, other than that I can see no other way in which the project can be improved.
18
Reflections
Caden Gayah
The Group’s Tech-Ed project consisted of six weeks of research and collaboration among
my team members and I. Overall, this was a very enjoyable and fun project. At the end of it all, we
were all able to come to an agreement, and everything went smoothly. What I learnt after it all was
that we all contributed creative and different ideas and it is definitely worth being open to all ideas
and discussing all ideas. It surely did lead to a positive outcome.
Kadir Abdool
The purpose of this project was to see whether or not we could recycle the plastic bags that
we use on a daily basis into something useful. Our group was able to achieve this but we can
improve our design and implications of our project. Firstly, this can be used by anyone for most
ordinary purposes of a normal basket. You can use it as a gift basket, as a fruit basket, or for many
other purposes. Secondly, I think that we can improve on this project by using more plastic bags for
stronger braids, other than that I can see no other way in which the project can be improved.
19
Jordan Mohomed
This project was a successful run and the members with whom I was working with were all
cooperative and fun to cope with. We've made it work and pulled through our ups and downs through
the term with the project. I do look forward to working on some future endeavors with them again.
Rivaldo Samaroo
This project was awesome especially with these group members who I love to work with. We
thrived through our ups and down throughout this term and completed this project successfully. I do
wish to work with this group again and make another successful run.
20
David Williams
I very much enjoyed working on this project with my group as everyone helped out where
they needed to, making the entire project a fun experience as opposed to a long, boring, tiresome
one. I am very satisfied with my completed project and I’m sure to use it for its intended purpose.
This wouldn’t have been possible without the help of my teacher, groupmates, and most of all, God.
21
Bibliography
Negative Effects of Plastic Bags
Author-
Douglas Lober
Date-
October, 26th, 2017.
https://www.reusethisbag.com/articles/plastic-shopping-bags-environmental-impact
Designs
Author-
Fabida Abdulla
Date-
July, 3rd, 2020.
https://artsycraftsymom.com/ways-to-reuse-plastic-bags/
Advantages
Author-
Unknown
Date-
April, 29th, 2013.
https://www.customearthpromos.com/eco-blog/reusable-recycled-bags-totes-advantages
Disadvantages
Author-
Dennis Hartman
Date-
April, 24th, 2017.
https://sciencing.com/disadvantages-recycled-plastics-7254476.html
Materials and Costing
Author-
Unknown
Date-
Unknown
https://www.amazon.com/
Steps
Author-Unknown
Date-
April,1 st ,2018.
https://www.1millionwomen.com.au/blog/how-make-basket-out-plastic-bags/
22