Space Of Waste workshops
Turn trash into treasure: Dive into our hands-on workshops & create one-of-a-kind pieces from everyday waste
Welcome to Space Of Waste - our new creative recycling hub
Space of Waste is a unique hub in Cremorne (VIC) where sustainability meets creative expression. Here, we transform ordinary waste into extraordinary items through engaging, interactive workshops. Join us and learn the secrets of upcycling plastic, whilst crafting a beautiful (and functional!) piece you can take home. The inspiring environment at Space Of Waste will fuel your creativity - upcycled design elements, collaborative vibes, and innovative energy create the perfect backdrop for your artistic journey.
Explore our Space Of Waste workshops:
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Education
Enquire nowEducational Excursions For Schools: Inspire young minds and foster environmental awareness through our interactive, STEM-focused workshops! Students will craft their own sustainable creations - think brightly coloured recycled pens, carabiners, or tags for their school bag! Uncover the science of transforming everyday plastics into something new while learning about waste reduction and the circular economy!
Head to our Education page here for more information on how we work with schools.
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Public
Book tickets (coming soon!)Public Recycling Workshops: Transform everyday waste into a one-of-a-kind masterpiece in our fun, creative workshops! Through hands-on activities like shredding, colour selection and blending through to moulding and hand-finishing, you'll master the art of plastic transformation and create something beautiful to take home, such as a vibrant yo-yo, or even a mini succulent plant pot!
Specific product details and themes will be available for each scheduled workshop.
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Corporate
Enquire nowCorporate Workshops: Engage your team and ignite creativity with our unique, hands-on recycling workshops. Your team will collaborate to create eco-friendly products from waste materials, fostering a collaborative spirit and environmental responsibility. Ideal for team building and inspiring fresh ideas, our workshops provide a dynamic, memorable experience for your employees.
Head to our Corporate Events page here for more details on how we work with local organisations.
What might you craft at your workshop?
Workshop FAQs
Pricing
Public Workshops: Refer to the registration page of your selected workshop for pricing details.
School Education Workshops: Head to our Education page for full details.
Corporate Workshops: Corporate sessions and events are costed on a case-by-case basis - a quote will provided.
Workshop Duration
Public Workshops: Refer to the registration page of your selected workshop for session duration details.
Education & Corporate Workshops: Workshops run for a minimum of 90 minutes. Our team will assist in establishing the ideal workshop timeframe for your needs at the time of booking.
What To Wear
For a comfortable and safe workshop experience:
• Closed-toe shoes are recommended to protect your feet during the creative process.
• We encourage you to tie back long hair.
• Leave long dangling jewelry at home for optimal comfort and safety whilst recycling.
Safety
We'll provide any necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) during your workshop to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience.
Information of machine-specific safety can be found via our machinery product pages.
Age Requirements
Public Workshops: We recommend our public workshops for ages 12 and above. For safety reasons, participants under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian who is also required to book a spot in the workshop.
Education Workshops: Our Space Of Waste education workshops are designed for secondary school students (or equivalent) and above.
Looking for something for younger learners? We also offer exciting school incursions for younger age groups - see our Education page for more details.
Please note: All of our facilitators have current Working With Children Checks as a condition of employment.
What You'll Make
You can find examples of the kinds of products you'll be producing here. We'll provide tailored recommendations for Education and Corporate events.
For public workshops, we offer a variety of exciting projects! Specific details and themes will be available on the registration page for each scheduled workshop. This allows us to keep our offerings fresh and cater to different interests.
Custom Moulds
In order to enhance Corporate / Education workshop memorability and impact, PPM can produce branded moulds, ensuring that each participant-produced item bears the distinctive insignia of the event or the hosting brand or educational institution.
A range of standard moulds are available, or alternatively custom moulds can be produced to align with your event objectives.
What To Bring
We'll provide all the necessary materials you'll need to get creative! Unless otherwise specified on the registration page for your chosen workshop, you won't need to bring anything additional.
For corporate bookings: In some cases, we can collaborate with your brand to incorporate a BYO waste option into your custom workshop. During our initial discussions, we can provide clear instructions on suitable waste materials to contribute to your team's creative endeavors.
Accessibility
This venue is fully wheelchair accessible. For any accessibility enquiries, please don't hesitate to contact us.
Getting There
Address:
Ground Floor, 28-30 Stephenson St, Cremorne VIC
Parking:
• Care Park, 10 Stephenson St (3-minute walk)
• Wilson Parking, 70 Gwynne St (5-minute walk)
• On-street parking might be available on weekends, however availability can be limited.
Public Transport:
5-minute walk to Richmond Train Station
Our Facilitators
Bill Verhagen
Bill is a qualified Plastics Engineer and Business Graduate. He has 35+ years experience in plastics and packaging.
Bill was a Technical Specialist for one of Australia's first post-consumer plastics recycling projects, aimed at demonstrating that packaging could be recycled into new applications. He has worked on a number of developments, focused on improving packaging sustainability through Circular Economy principles.
Passionate about inspiring the next generation, Bill began educating in 2020. He is also the current Vice President of the Society Of Plastics Engineers (SPE) ANZ and a member of the Australian Institute Of Packaging (AIP).
Piers Mossuto
Piers is one of the innovators behind the development of the 'Zephyr Bros' machinery range by Precious Plastic Melbourne- a series of small-scale plastics processing equipment designed for use in education, small business and community settings.
Earlier in his career, Piers has also spent time working as a Training Manager in adult education.
Now an expert in the area of community-focused ‘micro’ recycling, Piers also has an extensive background in business, co-founding his first sustainability-focused SME in 2014.
Swisse
"For World Environment Day 2023, we hosted the wonderful team from Precious Plastic Melbourne in our Swisse Wellness office for an educational talk on plastic and a hands-on, fun-filled workshop. Trudy and Bill were incredible communicators, answering the many questions that came from our very engaged audience in clear, concise language. Just read some of the feedback from our team to understand how valuable PPM's workshops are! "We all learnt a lot about an important topic for our business (and planet) in a fun and engaging way." "Certainly made me reflect on my habits and assumptions around recycling!" "Such a great session. Eye opening. Can't believe we (Australia) are the number 1 plastic consumer on the planet." Jonathan Hovenden, Packaging Technologist, H&H Group
Carey Grammar Baptist School
"The Precious Plastics presentation was a brilliant experience for students and for staff who are very new to this area of technology. Students loved the opportunity to learn more about where plastics come from, how plastics are classified and why they are all different. It was clear that many of them took the information at a very deep level and were keen to learn more. The opportunity to participate in hands on activities using the equipment that is used in industry to produce their own recycled plastic objects was particularly helpful. Students clearly found the session quite inspirational." Julie Wetherbee, Leader of Learning - Science, Carey Grammar Baptist School
Pentana Solutions
"Amazing, highly engaging presenter with a wealth of knowledge and a great enthusiasm for sharing wisdom. Our audience enjoyed the presentation and all questions were answered with a great deal of thought behind them. We really appreciated the time they spent at our office. Highly recommended!" Caitlin Koller, Internal Events & Communications Advisor, Pentana Solutions
Kardinia International College
"Bill was fantastic and pitched his information at the right level. Brought the world into them and what was possible. It wasn’t all negative, he provided a positive slant. Moved around and connected with the kids within the first minute – he engaged their passion. Kids opened up to him straight away. Honest, earnest conversation from Bill and the kids really felt he was in amongst them." Glenn Evans, Director Of Upper Primary, Kardinia International College
Hampton Primary School
"Hampton Primary students and the staff involved would like to thank Bill and the team at Precious Plastic for the wonderful program they presented. The information shared and the engaging hands-on experience resonated with the kids and left us all feeling inspired and armed with a deeper understanding of the plastic problem and the ways in which future generations can work towards a more circular economy. Would highly recommend!" Dean Ross, Grade 5 Teacher, Hampton Primary School
Explore our impact, and previous events via our live Impact Map!