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R.A.W. Plastics

R.A.W. Plastics

R.A.W. Plastics is an organization dedicated to creating recycled plastic products. It is based in Greenville in North Carolina. The company puts its focus on tackling the disastrous current plastic pollution. They use tactics like enhancing education and community engagement to deliver their mission. The company’s goal is to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. They plan to bring about environmental change. They carry out their business through a website. The website was built to sell repurposed plastic products. It was also made to establish a following of volunteers. The volunteers help with community cleanup events.

R.A.W. stands for Renewing Another Waterway. This slogan accurately describes the dedicated team of the company. It is made of like-minded individuals with a determination to make the world better. They are dedicated to creating a cleaner future. They want to reduce pollution one piece of plastic at a time. Plastic pollution is found in every corner of our planet. The mission of R.A.W.’s is to repurpose the waste into new and useful objects.

Leadership Team

Members of the R.A.W. team include;

1. Jon Aguilar - CEO

Aguilar moved to North Carolina when he was eight years old. He is an outdoorsy person with a passion for nature. Growing up, his parents told him stories of their native home, El Salvador. They told him of mountains and forests that were destroyed by pollution. As he grew up, he took note of how much plastic waste was destroying his immediate environment. He researched recycling options and started out in his one-bedroom apartment. He would melt the plastic into different shapes. There were some mistakes which he learnt from. Aguilar came together with his friends to start R.A.W.

2. Alan Riggs – CFO

Having grown up on Moss Lake in North Carolina, Riggs spent his childhood in the water. He went on numerous adventures as a Boy Scout. The Boy Scouts taught him to always leave an area cleaner than he found it. He attended East Carolina University in Greenville. In college, he noticed the damage plastics were doing on the coast and waterways. His inner Boy Scout wanted to solve the issue.

3. Alex Henson – COO

Henson was born in England. In 2001, he moved to North Carolina and joined the Boy Scouts. It was there that he first took note of the plastics problem. When he pulled a fish out of the water to find a candy wrapper in its gills, he had to do something. He focused on trying to clean up the planet.

4. Luke Oliver – Creative Director

Oliver took part in outdoor activities from a young age. He grew up in Long Island and would go on adventures with his father. He saw littering become a major issue and wanted to fix it.

5. Mason Monk – Handyman

Monk is a small town boy from Newton Grove in North Carolina. He did not understand much about pollution as a child. He grew up in farmlands. Monk only came to know about plastic pollution while bartending in Greenville. He noticed how many straws were thrown away on a daily basis. This motivated him to do something about the issue.

6. Alaina Corsini – Marketing Director

Her grandparents taught her about recycling. This fueled a love for the environment that led to her studying in North Carolina. Her attention was brought to the pollution problem. She realized how much it was affecting the health of those that lived in the area. Her motivation to reduce plastics led to her joining R.A.W.

R.A.W. History

Everything started with the team’s efforts to reduce and control their plastic use. They each saved whatever plastics they used, washed, and sorted them by color.

The first efforts were in Jon Aguilar’s one-bedroom apartment. It was on Elm Street in Greenville. The team cut up the plastic using a pair of scissors. They then melted it in the oven. Later on, they started using aluminum plates. They got the plates from a tortilla bowl maker and panini press. It took a lot of time but was worth it.

They made a lot of progress and a lot of mistakes. Currently, R.A.W. uses a small warehouse for its operations. They collect plastics from businesses and the community.

The R.A.W. Process

Renewing Another Waterway (R.A.W.) uses a simple overall process to get their plastics. This involves;

1. Community clean-ups

This is great in gaining experience on how to clean the waterways. It is R.A.W.’s most used method.

2. Local business clean-ups

There are businesses in the area that donate plastics to the company. The R.A.W. team simply picks it all up and remakes it into different products.

3. Multi-use retail items

The plastics collected are put to good use. They are disinfected, sorted, and shredded. They are then made into products to be used numerous times..

Shop

R.A.W. makes multiple hand-crafted recycled plastic products. These are from the plastic waste they collect. Some of the products that are made are;

1. Large bowl

Made from 100% repurposed plastic. The large bowl is made from polystyrene plastic. This is the kind used to make solo cups, food containers, and to-go coffee lids. Each measure at 459G of recycled plastic.

2. Small bowl

This measures 138G of recycled plastic. It is also made primarily from polystyrene plastic

3. Coasters

These are made from polypropylene plastic. It is usually in Tupperware, disposable utensils, and yogurt containers.

4. Keychains

Also made from polypropylene plastic. One keychain has about 7G of recycled plastic.

5. Earrings

Made from polypropylene plastic. Each set has about 7G of recycled plastic.

6. Phone case

Made from polypropylene plastic. Each set has about 22G of recycled plastic.

7. Magnets

Made from polypropylene plastic. Each set has about 7G of recycled plastic.

The company Renewing Another Waterway (R.A.W.) Plastic is made up of a team of friends. They each share a common cause, which is to reduce plastics from the environment. The group has gained the support of local businesses and communities. They are each dedicated to creating a better world for all living things.

ENC Explorer
Author: ENC Explorer

After getting accepted to ECU, I started looking for things to do in and around Greenville, NC. However, my searches kept taking me to places in South Carolina! There must be things to do around ECU, so I started asking other students. They kept telling me to graduate and move away! This inspired me to begin exploring eastern North Carolina and build this website as a showcase of the places to go, sights to see, and things to do all over eastern NC. I have fallen in love with this region and started taking up roots here. After graduating, I didn't move away - I bought a house here and continue to explore eastern North Carolina.

This place is for Publicity

This place is for Publicity

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