re\plastik

The plastic waste generated by Frankfurt’s population every year could fill two football stadiums. Only 7–15% is recycled, a small portion incinerated, while the majority ends up in landfills across the world. By now, plastics are detectable in our bodies, in animals, soils, rivers, and oceans.

In 2023, Umwelt-Exploratorium e.V. initiated a plastic trail and workshops at a school. Together, participants developed the foundations for a plastic exhibition in a participatory process. This first pilot project was presented publicly – in connection with workshops and in cooperation with Experiminta Frankfurt.

As part of WDC 2026, the exhibition will be expanded. A summer workshop at the Aeronauten-Werkstatt in the hangar of the Old Airfield will provide the public setting, aimed at parents with children over several weekends. “Re-Plastic” conveys both practical and theoretical knowledge about plastics, linking functional and aesthetic dimensions.

In the lead-up, plastic flea-market exhibitions will be held in schools, where plastic products of various qualities are collected, exhibited, sold, or shredded as part of an action. The spectacular kick-off will be the “Museo Aero Solar”, the largest flying museum in the world: a walk-in kaleidoscope made from plastic bags, inviting reflection on the design and consumption of the future.