Tyler Eglen used to have more free time in his life.
But now he’s spending that time on a passion topic: plastics.
A project manager associate for Rob and Melani Walton Sustainability Solutions Service in the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, Eglen has big hopes and dreams to revitalize recycling through an innovative program on ASU’s Tempe campus.
“When I learned that our plastic recycling rate in the United States is lower than 9%, I knew that new solutions were needed,” Eglen said in advance of National Recycling Day, which is celebrated every Nov. 15 and aims to encourage people to purchase recycled products and recycle more. “That’s what gave me the fodder to go to ASU directly and start our initiative.”
Last year when Eglen was a graduate student, he was enrolled in an inaugural Graduate Immersion Program cohort within the Student Design Studio in the Office of Applied Innovation. His work ethic and intention to do something special regarding sustainability caught the eye of several people, including Michelle Govani.
“We supported Tyler’s work through a stipend, help connecting to and working with other units at ASU, and weekly mentorship and workshopping sessions,” said Govani, senior director of strategy and partnerships in the Office of Applied Innovation. “Tyler exemplified the way good work gets done at ASU — by boldly reaching across disciplinary and unit boundaries to bring people together around a shared, charter-aligned goal.”
One of Eglen’s goals was to start a student organization chapter of Precious Plastic at ASU. The award-winning Precious Plastic community hovers around 80,000 people and has approximately 1,000 chapters around the world since starting in 2014.
A bin is full of plastics made of high-density polyethylene is separated for the plastic shredder. Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News
The ASU chapter was established in 2020 and is composed of about 40 students. They utilize social engagement, a suite of semi-industrial plastic-processing machines and education to empower people to clean up, recycle plastic and think about adopting zero-waste lifestyles.
“I was awarded $5,000 through a Sustainability Initiatives Revolving Fund grant from Zero Waste, and they encouraged me to create this student-run organization to support sustainability efforts, so that’s how it got started,” Eglen said. “We used the money to create a plastic-shredding machine in ASU’s Design School.”
Eglen said the club collects plastic items from the campus, shreds them into a “flake” and places them into an extruder to create new products. One of the products is plastic lumber, often used for park benches and porches, and at playgrounds.
ASU's Tyler Eglen displays a handful of shredded plastic pieces called flake. The collected plastics are shredded in the basement of the Design North building on the Tempe campus and then put through an extruder at Eglen's home to create new products. Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News
“Plastic lumber is a great solution for wood since wood prices are going through the roof,” said Eglen, who spends about six to eight hours a week on club business. “It reduces waste, and it’s much more durable than wood.”
Right now the group’s operations are small and the work is time-intensive.
“Recycling is hard work,” said Johna Yolo, a fourth-year student majoring in human systems engineering who is the process lead for the club. “It’s hard, it’s labor-intensive and there’s very little payoff with the scale we’re at now. But I think we’re at the tip of the iceberg — there’s potential to do great things.”
Yolo’s reference to hard work is not to be underestimated. About 66 milk jugs have to be shredded and melted to make one 8-foot plastic lumber beam. Of course, that doesn’t take into account collecting the materials from bins, separating them, scraping off labels and twist caps, and cleaning them thoroughly before being recycled.
Tyler Eglen clears out plastic from the shredder. Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News
The group gathers materials through regular collections at the university and what Zero Waste sets aside: plastic utensils, straws, 3D printer filament, food containers, to-go cups, plastic signage, soda bottles, cosmetic containers, medicine bottles and even 5-gallon buckets from restaurants.
There are plans to go outside the university walls and start collections in the city of Mesa, zeroing in on apartment complexes, according to Michael Brady, a fourth-year civil engineering major.
“About 60% of all apartment complexes in Phoenix recycle,” said Brady, who is the club’s engineering lead. “There’s a chance that we can impact the community in ways that others can’t. The potential is big.”
Brady said Precious Plastic can help the community in more ways than one. He hopes one day they can create plastic bricks to make homeless shelters, durable water bottles, clamps and office furniture for ASU, and perhaps even create a retail component to make their club self-sustaining.
This small but heavy table is made from recycled plastic forks, knives and spoons by Precious Plastic @ ASU. Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News
With all of the inroads the club is making, the public still needs to be educated on recycling and especially consumption, said Samantha Esparza, a second-year sustainability major who serves as the club’s lead for outreach and communications
“Plastic impacts the environment, and we have to find a way to educate people about their lifestyle and consumption habits,” she said. “Most people our age want to know about sustainability so the real challenge is to find out what they already know and what will interest them in practicing sustainability.”
Often, that means leading by example, Esparza said.
“One time we had an audit in front of the Student Services building, and we were literally digging in garbage bins finding plastic that was useful,” Esparza said. “I think we showed that we really care about our world.”
Precious Plastic @ ASU hosts a general meeting the first Thursday of every month, as well as working sessions throughout the week that include plastic shredding, and machine design and construction. All majors are welcome, especially those looking for capstone collaborations, and interested students can find the club through Sun Devil Sync.
For more information, visit Precious Plastic @ ASU.
Top photo: Fourth-year human systems engineering major Johna Yolo (left) and fourth-year chemistry major Nadya Soekardono place empty bottles in the plastic shredder Nov. 1 in the basement of the Design North building on the Tempe campus. Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News
480-727-5176 marshall.terrill@asu.edu
In an unlikely union, this year’s Sol Power hip-hop festival at Arizona State University will join forces with the ASU Symphony Orchestra for one of its featured events.The free, five-day community event features DJs, emcees, live music, graffiti artists and dancers, and it culminates Saturday, Nov. 20, with the main event — a daylong celebration of the Phoenix area's hip-hop community with a ...
In an unlikely union, this year’s Sol Power hip-hop festival at Arizona State University will join forces with the ASU Symphony Orchestra for one of its featured events.
The free, five-day community event features DJs, emcees, live music, graffiti artists and dancers, and it culminates Saturday, Nov. 20, with the main event — a daylong celebration of the Phoenix area's hip-hop community with a focus on 3-on-3 battles and a choreography battle. This year, the main event also includes a collaboration with the ASU Symphony Orchestra. The Sol Power hip-hop festival at ASU's Tempe campus. Download Full Image
During performances on the evening of Nov. 20, internationally renowned graffiti artists Lalo Cota and Thomas “Breeze” Marcus will create art in real time outside on the Nelson Fine Arts Plaza while the ASU Symphony Orchestra premieres Carlos Simon’s “Graffiti” for a live audience in ASU Gammage. Simon is currently composer-in-residence at the Kennedy Center and the 2021 winner of the Sphinx Medal of Excellence. The performances will be livestreamed to each location, so the ASU Symphony audience will be viewing the graffiti artists working in real time while those gathered at Galvin Plaza will be able to hear and see the symphony performance.
“What is powerful is that we are sharing the stage and finding common ground in our different disciplines, cultures and art forms,” said Jeffery Meyer, director of orchestras for the School of Music, Dance and Theatre. “I hope both experiences will be enriched through the collaboration.”
The popular hip-hop festival offers free performances, exhibitions and competitions. According to the Sol Power AZ website, “Sol Power is an empowering opportunity to celebrate the culture and creative intelligence within communities of color.”
Originally founded by Richard Mook and Melissa Britt with the name Urban Sol, the event was held outdoors in Phoenix. Bringing it to ASU created more student and faculty involvement. This year the festival is directed by ASU School of Music, Dance and Theatre assistant professors Jorge “House” Magana and LaTasha Barnes, who both teach ASU’s trailblazing hip-hop dance curriculum.
“We have a two-fold mission,” Magana said. “We want to expose our students to this culture and connect them to the things they’re learning in their classroom, and we want to introduce the outside community to ASU’s campus.”
The community can participate in activities all week, leading up to the main event. On Tuesday, Nov. 16, Samuel Peña, community engagement coordinator for the School of Music, Dance and Theatre, hosts “Tunes at Noon” on the Nelson Fine Arts Plaza. On Wednesday afternoon, there will be a collaboration with the Labriola Center at Hayden Library featuring Indigenous DJs and dancers, including artists Tomahawk Bang (Onk Akimel O’odham), Randy B. (Diné) and DJ Reflekshin (Diné).
Friday evening will be the dedication of Nelson Fine Arts Center Room 28 as the Marcus White Dance Studio, in honor of the important role White played at ASU as a faculty member in the dance program who dedicated his career to working in the legacy of the Black Radical Tradition. White died unexpectedly in May 2020. The evening will also honor dance student and friend Armani Moten, who passed away in December 2019.DetailsTuesday, Nov. 16
Tunes at Noon Noon–1 p.m. Nelson Fine Arts Plaza
Bring your lunch, bring your friends and join us in the plaza outside the Nelson Fine Arts Center for an afternoon of music and dancing. Wednesday, Nov. 17
Native American Heritage Month Labriola Pre-Jam 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Hayden Library West Patio In partnership with ASU’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts and the Phoenix hip-hop community, the Sol Power project and Labriola Center will be hosting a dance cypher A cypher is when dancers form a circle and take turns dancing in the center. at the Hayden Library featuring Indigenous DJs, dancers and artists Tomahawk Bang (Onk Akimel O’odham), Randy B. (Diné) and DJ Reflekshin (Diné). This intersectional event seeks to creatively engage the ASU community on the transformative power of hip-hop culture and uplift modern Indigenous forms of expression. Friday, Nov. 19
In partnership with ASU’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts and the Phoenix hip-hop community, the Sol Power project and Labriola Center will be hosting a dance cypher A cypher is when dancers form a circle and take turns dancing in the center. at the Hayden Library featuring Indigenous DJs, dancers and artists Tomahawk Bang (Onk Akimel O’odham), Randy B. (Diné) and DJ Reflekshin (Diné). This intersectional event seeks to creatively engage the ASU community on the transformative power of hip-hop culture and uplift modern Indigenous forms of expression.
Hip-Hop Matters 10:30 a.m. Margaret Gisolo Dance Theatre, Bulldog Hall
Join us for a casual morning meet-and-greet where you can get to know Sol Power guest artist "Ivan the Urban Action Figure" through discussion and community interaction.
Marcus White Dance Studio Dedication 6 p.m. Nelson Fine Arts Center, Room 28
The School of Music, Dance and Theatre is rededicating Nelson Fine Arts Center Room 28 as the Marcus White Dance Studio. The dedication will provide an opportunity to reflect on White's role at ASU as a faculty member in the dance program who dedicated his career to working in the legacy of the Black Radical Tradition and speaking truth to power. Please join us as we reflect on his role as movement maker, mentor, activist, artist and scholar as well as honor friend and student Armani Moten, who died in 2019. We are grateful for the generous donations that helped make this possible. For information on contributing to the Marcus White Dance Studio fund, visit musicdancetheatre.asu.edu/giving/marcus-white. Saturday, Nov. 20
Sol Power main event 2–10 p.m. Nelson Fine Arts Plaza
Hosted by ASU’s School of Music, Dance and Theatre, this free community event features DJs, emcees, graffiti artists, dancers and musicians. The day includes 3-on-3 dance battles that are open to both students and the community, as well as a choreography battle where everyone gets a chance to share and show off their skills.
“Graffiti” with ASU Symphony Orchestra 7:30 p.m. ASU Gammage
As part of this year’s celebration, the ASU Symphony will premiere Carlos Simon’s “Graffiti,” performed with art created in real time by internationally renowned graffiti artists. The ASU Symphony performance will take place at ASU Gammage while graffiti artists create in Nelson Fine Arts Plaza. Each event will be livestreamed at the other location. The ASU Symphony performance is one part of a concert at Gammage that begins with the premiere of “FraKture,” a new work by ASU composer and Professor Garth Paine, which includes sounds amplified by the audience’s own cellphones as part of the orchestral landscape. The concert will also feature pianist John Solar, winner of the 2020 ASU Concerto Competition, performing Ravel’s American jazz club-inspired “Piano Concerto for the Left Hand” and will conclude with Arturo Marquez’s exuberant “Danzon No. 2.” Tickets for this event must be purchased in advance through the ASU Gammage box office.
Please note: All events are open to the public. Attendees are required to agree to adhere to ASU policies. At this time, consistent with CDC guidelines for colleges and universities, face coverings are required in the School of Music, Dance and Theatre indoor performance spaces and strongly encouraged in our outdoor spaces when physical distancing is not possible. We ask that you monitor for cold/flu/COVID-19-like symptoms and stay home if you are unwell. Our safety policy permits performers to remove face coverings for performance as they are frequently testing and monitoring their health.
Media and communications coordinator, School of Music, Dance and Theatre
480-727-5550 lacychaffee@asu.edu