Given that plastic waste is an environmental nightmare for the world, this brilliant recycling project by HIR Studio offers both hope and inspiration for communities everywhere. The designer rallied local citizens to collect plastic waste from the river in Shatin, which was then treated, compressed into small pellets and sent to the factory to be converted into modular panels. The panels were then shaped and combined to form stylish curvilinear public benches for public seating at the Shatin District Townhall. Let’s hope this first of a kind project for Hong Kong is the trigger for many more.