Replay Workshop gives plastic waste new life

Jenae Floerke and John Nephew of Atlas Games hold up items formed out of recycled plastic at the Replay Workshop, a new experiment to reduce plastic waste.

Below is a snippet fom the article featured in the Duluth News Tribune, however you can read the full article HERE.

Since he started Atlas Games nearly 30 years ago, co-owner John Nephew has found himself frustrated with the amount of waste that goes into the production process. Replay Workshop, Atlas's new plastic recycling
experiment, was born out of that frustration.

"I've always been looking for ways that we can reduce our environmental impact," Nephew said. "If I have to throw away old games, because there's no demand for them, I'd rather figure out a way to turn them into new games where there is a demand.

Earlier in 2022, Nephew's warehouse manager pitched the idea of getting a cardboard perforator, a machine that takes corrugated cardboard and makes accordion-style cuts. This turns a cardboard box into webbing that can be wrapped around items and used for packing material. Nephew said
investing in the machine was expensive, but it's greatly reduced the amount of biodegradable packing peanuts the company would usually purchase.

"Plus, I figured that there were other companies around who have dumpsters full of corrugated cardboard, so we could help them out and get more packing material at the same time," Nephew said.