Beyond the Bin is a creative workshop and community engagement project developed in response to the growing challenge of plastic carrier bag waste. Combining practical making with systems thinking, the project invited participants to transform discarded plastic bags into new materials and functional objects while exploring the wider environmental, economic, and social implications of plastic consumption.

Drawing on principles of transition design, circular economy thinking, and participatory learning, the project moved beyond awareness-raising to encourage critical engagement with the systems that produce waste. Through discussion prompts, collaborative reflection, and hands-on experimentation, participants were invited to consider questions of responsibility, reuse, resourcefulness, and material value.

Developed in partnership with community-focused sustainability initiatives, the project recognised that upcycling alone cannot solve the plastic crisis. Instead, it positioned making as a tool for learning, conversation, and behavioural change—creating opportunities for people to better understand their relationship with materials and imagine more regenerative futures.