Kazakhstani designer Enis Akiev has developed a method for turning single-use plastic packaging into tiles, by emulating the organic process of rock formation.
Metamorphic rocks such as marble develop their flowing, irregular patterns through heat and pressure, and Akiev's Plastic Stone Tiles are subjected to similar conditions to achieve the same effect.

"First, I collect household plastic waste ?from trash-sorting facilities," Akiev told Dezeen. "Then I sort it by colour and type of plastic before washing and drying it. Finally, I melt it in an oven so that I am able to press it into a form, cut it and sand it."
"Through heat, movement and pressure ? much like in rock formation but in a much lighter approach ? I am able to achieve very similar structures," she continued.
This process lends itself to the creation of a vast range of different coloured tiles, featuring as many shades as can be found in the packaging itself.
"The colours are created entirely through sorting the waste into matching piles," explained Akiev, who is a graduate of the Köln International School of Design.
"There is no additional colour or binder added, and the patterns come from the way I layer and form the plastic foils."

The idea to subject plastic to conditions that are similar to those in nature, came from Akiev's realisation that plastic can never really be thrown away because, as she explained, "there is no away".
It simply goes ...