This street bench was made by 3D-printing recycled plastic

Rotterdam-based research and design studio The New Raw is turning plastic waste into wacky 3D-printed street furniture as part of a project called “Print Your City.”

Take the XXX bench, a twisty seating surface for two to four people that’s also a giant rocking chair. Users must work together to find a proper balance that suits everyone, or even use the benches to playfully rock around. But future benches can be easily customized and altered—perhaps to seat less social citizens?

Made of recycled plastic using a large-scale pellet extrusion 3D printer, the bench’s manufacturing cycle was quite short. The bench itself is 100 percent recyclable.

“In Amsterdam alone, residents generate an average of 23 kg of plastic waste per person, annually,” write the designers. “That’s enough waste to 3D print one bench for every two Amsterdammers, per year.”

The designers are also exploring other pieces of street furniture and infrastructure they can make out of the city’s plastic trash—including recycling bins, bus stop shelters, and playgrounds.