Environmental sustainability through recycled polythene textile art

Abstract

ABSTRACT Polythene bags, more commonly referred to as single-use plastics, are lightweight, non-biodegradable materials that pose numerous environmental threats. Recent research conducted by researchers and textile artists has sought to raise awareness about their effects. This studio practice recycled polythene bags into polythene weft yarns, interlaced with polyester warp yarns on a broadloom to create fabrics. This studio practice took place on the campus of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana. Polythene bags were converted into yarns in continuous strands using soldering and knotting techniques. The studio creative process was guided by studio-based practice in accordance with the qualitative research design. The findings from the exploration phase and prototyping stage provided invaluable insight into creating the final woven fabrics. This study demonstrates the possibility of combining polyester warp yarns with recycled polythene bags as weft yarns into textile art. It also created the needed awareness to reduce the consumption of polythene bags in the country. Assessments from the study participants on the wearability and comfortability of the woven fabrics revealed that they are stiff and rough, making them only suitable as textile art.