UOW scientist, CSIRO, Habitat for Humanity working to turn trash into furniture

The University of Wollongong's Dr Aziz Ahmeh, from the School of Civil, Mining, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, is part of the team who will delve into 3D printing systems to ultimately turn trash into treasure - that is, furnished homes that are sustainable, functional, and aesthetically pleasing, with a significant socio-economic impact.

"Imagine a world that supports the sustainable manufacturing of furnished homes using local plastic waste, while not only diverting garbage from landfills but also creating jobs and training under-represented talent," Dr Ahmed said.

"I am very excited for the opportunity to work on such a visionary project, and even more so as it is under the umbrella of National Science Foundation's Convergence accelerator program, which aims to accelerate convergence research into application and commercialisation."

According to the United Nations Environment Programme, about 400 million tonnes of plastic waste are produced every year. Approximately only nine per cent of the plastic ever produced, estimated at seven billion tonnes, has been recycled.

The project also has support of the National Science Foundation in the United States, and CSIRO in Australia, while the team includes researchers from Austin Habitat for Humanity, The University of Texas at Austin and Western Sydney University and is led by Texas-based social enterprise re:3D.

The design, which will be informed by the requirements of Habitat for Humanity, will be able to be deployed around the world, and completely open source.

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Professor David Currow, UOW's Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Sustainable Futures), congratulated Dr Ahmed on the grant funding and said he was looking forward to seeing how the research developed.

"As we all know, the problem of how to deal with the immense amount of plastic waste on this planet is both urgent and overwhelming. This novel research could have a significant role to play in helping the environment while creating a significant and positive social impact. Congratulations to Dr Ahmed and the UOW team on their success in this prestigious round of international funding."