Your Plastic Recycling Safety Guide

We thought it was finally time we addressed the question we get asked every single day - is it safe to melt plastic at home? In this video, we cover the importance of cleaning and separating plastic types, as well as which plastics you should and shouldn't work with. We also show you the way in which we've tackled this in our workshop, including ventilation, respirators and fume extractors. All with the help of the weirdly familiar-looking, Dr. Plastic!

We've put this video together as a guide using our experience in working directly with recycled plastic over the past 3-4 years. We would always encourage you to do your own research if you are unsure, but we have linked everything we spoke about below for your reference. As with anything, it also comes down to your comfort level. If you don't feel safe in what you are doing then remember there is no such thing as 'too safe'. Open all your windows, get fume extraction sorted and don that respirator!

New safety information:
- We will add to this section as and when we hear new info!

#BrothersMake #PlasticSafety #PreciousPlastic #HDPERecycling #RecycledPlastic #HDPE #RecycledPlasticBottles #PlasticRecycling

♻️♻️♻️
Get started recycling by checking out our EQUIPMENT links:

Check out our WEBSITE and online SHOP:

You can also buy our products on ETSY:

Consider supporting us on PATREON:

Follow us on INSTAGRAM:

Link to our MERCH store:

Check out our PLAYLIST with all of our HDPE videos:

♻️♻️♻️

FAQ:
➡️ Our workshop is powered 100% by renewable energy. We don’t use any energy from fossil fuels whatsoever.

♻️♻️♻️

Music by Epidemic Sound

[BrothersMake]

Supporting our sponsors helps keep us in the workshop and saving more plastic from becoming pollution 🤙🏽♻

[SandiRose]

So much awesome information! Thank you Brothers!! Don't forget, if someone believes they need to be wearing a 'respirator', then your pets are at risk also. To keep them safe, keep them out of the area!! Thanks!!

[FlyffyVampire]

Interesting video! I'm always happy to see content creators put effort into safety. I'd like to chip in on the respirators a little, particularly the "no leaks" part. Facial hair breaks the seal the mask is trying to get on your face, and supposedly tanks the effectiveness of them way more than you'd expect. It's bad enough that the use of these respirators is banned at my workplace for anyone who hasn't shaved within the last 8 hours. Instead we're required to use respirators that cover your entire face.

I believe you guys are totally fine given the fact that you're taking multiple safety precautions, but hopefully this is helpful for anyone who wants to take their health serious and planned on only using a respirator.

[penetratingstain]

I genuinely appreciate that you've made this video. It addresses most of the relevant concerns surrounding plastic recycling and health safety. I hope that it helps people implement and improve safety practices in plastic recycling work spaces and in the classrooms around the planet that are doing plastic recycling experiments. Keep up the good work!

[directeeccks]

Thank you so much for this!!! Y’all really are changing the world! Got classrooms of students looking at plastics differently.

[Moefongoe]

Thank u, been meaning to start making garden bricks for raised beds. Was always worried about fumes

[eugenetswong]

Thanks, brothers. A lot of it is old news for your long time viewers, but I appreciate the extra depth in this video and the reminders

[jamilacreates]

Awesome! I'm so glad that I found your channel. I'm a fashion designer that works mainly in upcycles and you guys have inspired me to start using recycled hdpe for my hardware.
This video helped me decide to focus on hdpe until I can afford to expand me business. Thank you for the info!

[DaveGDesigns]

I started watching this and at first I was very skeptical about your ability to be an authority on plastic recycling was until I saw the clicky pen and clip board, at that moment I knew these boys are proper scientifical they know their stuff 👍

[SollersScrappingandDiving]

Very helpful thanks guys, I plan to do this when I finally get a bigger workshop, working with metal safety gear is also essential but the links you have given us for plastics will save people a lot of time and avoid disinformation! 👍

[EyespenNoFear]

This video was perfect for me. I recently watched a video where a guy made a holster by heating a PVC pipe and forming it. Now I know to avoid that type of plastic at all costs. Thank you!

[wafflebeaver]

Well done! Pretty much matches everything I've read and researched. Cleaning plastic is such a water intensive process i need to start collecting rain water for this.

[MaltandMake]

Those temp charts are really helpful, thanks for sharing!

[vibesmom]

Thank you- it’s essential information like this that reminds everyone that you can be safe and still have fun! Safety isn’t boring- it’s life affirming!

[intheory]

Love you guys, you teach people a lot of useful stuff and now I can easily send this video to people when they ask if recycling plastic is safe

[BuggyGirlWorld]

This is such a great video!! And much needed! THANK YOU!!!

[cadthunkin]

I love the maker part of all this, and used to re-use the sprues from model airplane kits for things. The funny thing about recycling is that oil companies want us to think it can or is being done, but its actually not economical. I guess finding a market to make it profitable could change that. Even glass is not worth it in many areas. I think the answer is make retaining wall parts from plastics so we can just build great pyramids of trash our ancestors can marvel at.

[surewhatever]

Thank you. I was scouring the comments of another project video for this info and was wonderfully surprised to discover a dedicated video to answer my questions.

[briandavern]

What about the brown hydrogen peroxide bottles are they safe to work with?

[GregJoiner]

YES! We needed this critical info. Thank you!