A Perth engineer is on a mission to launch Western Australia's first plastic recycling plant, turning bottles into filament for use in 3D printers.

When residents in the state put clear plastic bottles into their yellow-topped recycling bin, they probably assume the bottles make their way to a plant to be reprocessed into new plastic materials.

But the reality is Western Australia has no plastic reprocessing facility.

This discovery horrified Perth engineer and entrepreneur Darren Lomman, and has inspired him to try to launch one.

Darren Lomman was horrified not a single plastic bottle put in recycling bins gets reprocessed in WA. ( ABC News: Kathleen Dyett )

"Because there are no plastic reprocessors in Western Australia, they are basically forced to sell it on the international waste market to whoever will buy it," Mr Lomman told ABC Radio Perth.

"Some of the ships full of plastic will be bought by reprocessors, who will recycle it and turn it into new products.

"But a big lot of it is bought by waste incinerators who burn it in energy recovery processors to generate electricity.

"But it is such a polluting thing for our world."

Focus on 3D printing

At the time Mr Lomman realised what was happening to plastic bottles in WA recycling bins, he was also looking for a new venture.

His previous business, Dreamfit — which created equipment for people with disabilities — had been acquired by a not-for-profit organisation.

"I was actually thinking about getting into the 3D printing space, but it wasn't until just before Christmas last year I saw an advert on TV that said by 2050 there is going to be more plastic in our ocean than fish. It caught my attention," he recalled.

"I started researching plastic and what was happening in WA.

"To find out we have no reprocessing is heartbreaking."

It is said that plastic bottles could one day outnumber fish in the ocean. ( ABC: Emma Wynne )

Mr Lomman's goal is to establish a reprocessing plant that will handle PET plastic — the kind used in water and soft drink bottles that is marked with the number 1 on the packaging.

He wants the bottles to be turned into the filament that goes into 3D printers.

"3D printing is estimated to be one of the top seven disruptors to the WA economy — it's huge," he said.

"About 70 per cent of high schools have 3D printers. Primary schools are starting to get them.

"I've even seen a pre-primary with a printer.

"Every day I'm seeing a new company using 3D printing; aeroplanes now have parts that are 3D printed. There are medical applications, car parts.

"So, we are really leveraging that, combining that huge new growing market with our waste problem and creating an entrepreneurial solution that kind of harnesses both of those."

Partnering with schools

His enterprise, called Greenbatch, has initially partnered with 50 schools.

"The schools will have the collection bins at school and we will come along and collect it, take it to our factory and turn it into the 3D printer filament and then give it back to the schools," Mr Lomman explained.

"All the kids have to do is collect the rubbish."

Plastic bottles can provide the 'ink' 3D printers use to create objects in schools around Western Australia. ( 666 ABC Canberra: Clarissa Thorpe )

He has also launched a crowdfunding campaign to support the enterprise.

"We are not taking any commercial investment. We don't want it driven by people making money," he said.

"We are doing it as a community initiative, not a money maker."

Mr Lomman also hoped the enterprise would provide recycling education and persuade people to use less disposable plastic in their daily lives.

"Plastic is quite a miraculous material. It doesn't break down," he said.

"That's terrible if it ends up in our oceans and our landfill.

"But from an engineering point of view, we can recycle plastic over and over again, turning it into brand new products.

"To me it should be seen as a valuable resource, not something we throw away or simply burn."