There is no such thing as waste!
Recycling & Repurposing
Society’s current “take, make, waste” mentality has led us to think there is waste, that is should be put out of sight, so it is out of mind. At Rosebud, we are trying to find value in these materials we are throwing away.
Learn about our projects below and schedule a tour to come and see them in person!
PLASTIC
Through donations and partnerships with the University of South Florida, we are able to have four machines on site that help us process plastic and glass so we can create recycling and repurposing research projects with these materials.
Single Axis Plastic Shredder
It can shred plastic bottles, bags, and several other types of plastic containers.
This machine was donated to the University of South Florida by the Elizabeth Moore Foundation, and obtained through the Precious Plastic platform.
Shredder Crusher Granulator
It is processes smaller pieces of plastic, like bottle caps.
This machine was donated by Ervin Bishop Construction and purchased through Walmart.
Double Axis Plastic Shredder
This machine can shred at a larger scale the same types of plastic containers as the smaller shredder.
This machine was donated to the University of South Florida by the Elizabeth Moore Foundation, and obtained through the Precious Plastic platform.
GLASS
Glass is a material that can be recycled infinitely without losing its quality!
This means, every time we throw a glass container to the trash(landfill), we are wasting this valuable material!
With the help of the glass crusher machine, we are able to turn glass back into sand, a sand that is safe to touch and ready to be reused. We are currently exploring different applications for this recovered material.
This machine was donated by Ervin Bishop Construction .
What do we do with the shredded
plastic and crushed glass?
TRASHCRETE
This project is an ongoing research project led by Dr. Thomas Henry Culhane, where the mixture of shredded plastic, sand from on-site crushed glass, and cement has been used to make useful and purposeful items. Among these tests and projects, Dr. Culhane, USF students, and Rosebud’s interns have created three statues representing iconic Florida wildlife animals. There are still more to come!
