GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A new business is working to reduce plastic waste in Grand Rapids and give the material new life.
Design Declassified is a manufacturing company that was founded last year by Jared Seifert. He said the idea came about after he went on a trip with his fellow Kendall College alum Lauren Copping.
“I saw that there was just an incredible amount of innovation happening around waste materials and so seeing, feeling it, experiencing it, kind of seemed like a no-brainer,” Seifert said.
“We were inspired by watching communities come together to serve this initiative and that’s kind of what we’re trying to do here,” Copping said.
When they got back from their trip, they got to work creating a company that takes plastic waste and turns it into usable materials. Taking plastics like milk jugs, pill bottles and even crates and turning them into products like tables, chairs, pillars and even frames.
“It’s been quite a journey from creating our very first prototype in a toaster oven, essentially to developing some machinery and equipment to produce three-foot by three-foot sheets,” Seifert said.