Plastic Stone Tiles

These so called Plastic Stone Tiles consist of postconsumer plastic waste. Designer Enis Akiev researched how plastic behaves in nature and found it forms plastiglomerate under certain natural influences. By combing geological components with an artificial material, a new type of rock is created. The tiles are the result of an investigation of how lightweight post-consumer plastic packaging could be turned to look like natural stone.

The tiles are the product of a project trying to answer the questions “What is waste?” and “Where is ‘away’?”. Akiev came to the conclusion that waste is a subjective term, which describes something that is unused. In addition, she believes there is no such thing as ‘away’, as the majority of plastic waste ends up in the sea.

By focusing on post-consumer plastic waste, Akiev wants to change the perception of waste and show its unique aesthetics, thus increasing the value of disposable packaging waste and making it accessible as aesthetically pleasing and durable material. This work aims to give impulses to rethink the general understanding of resources and to stimulate an exploration of materials. With regard to the reduction of natural resources, we must consider waste more than ever as a resource and as a continuous step in a never-ending process, rather than the end of a product’s life.