W.R.A.P! Waste Reclamation Action Program logo Waste Reclamation Action Program
About WRAP

An arts organization for the materials of the future.

WRAP is a New York City nonprofit led by artists and designers. Our mission is to connect material from waste streams to the people who make things (artists, designers, architects, circular manufacturers and craftspeople) and to show our communities what discarded plastic can become.

WRAP members in the workshop

Our story

WRAP grew out of years of hands-on plastics work by New York artists and designers, including installations and public projects made with recovered plastic. We kept running into the same gap: lots of plastic gets collected, but very little reaches the people who could build with it. In 2023 we incorporated as a nonprofit to close that gap.

Today our members source waste, develop community-scale processing methods, supply recovered materials to makers, and teach through workshops, outreach, arts and crafts activities and talks. In our first season, May to October 2026, we held six cleanups and four workshops with Guardians of Flushing Bay and Precious Plastic NYC, collecting about 600 lbs of trash, 150 lbs of it reclaimable plastic.

We're a startup. Next we're working toward a public home, a wider base of members and supporters, and eventually our own equipment and a job-training program in circular practices.

Jul 2023Incorporated as a New York not-for-profit; IRS 501(c)(3) exemption effective
Jan 2024Took the name Waste Reclamation Action Program
2026First season (May–Oct) with Guardians of Flushing Bay and Precious Plastic NYC: 6 cleanups, 4 workshops, ~600 lbs collected, 150 lbs reclaimable plastic. Producing granulate, sheet, lumber and pellets for makers.
2027Goal: a public materials lab and workshop space
Transparency

WRAP and Precious Plastic NYC

Our founder, Gary Dusek, also leads Precious Plastic NYC, a for-profit fabrication studio in the Bronx. The two are separate organizations with separate finances.

Until WRAP has its own equipment, our materials are produced in Precious Plastic NYC's workshop under a services agreement. Today, WRAP's funding comes entirely from Precious Plastic NYC. We're working to change that by building a base of members, donors and grants so WRAP can stand on its own.

We credit work to the organization that did and funded it. For example, our 2026 Flushing Bay season was funded through a grant to Precious Plastic NYC, and the equipment it built belongs to Precious Plastic NYC.

Board of directors

We're recruiting independent directors
Tiffany GomezTiffany GomezGomez Design Studio · construction waste
Gary DusekGary DusekFounder · Precious Plastic NYC · plastics
Mika RottenbergMika RottenbergRottenberg Studio · artist
Natalia AlmadaNatalia AlmadaRottenberg Studio · administrator
Max BardMax BardMaxbard911 · artist and arborist
David MariniDavid MariniMaterials for the Arts · educator

In the field

Hands sorting bright strips of recovered plastic Feeding sorted plastic into a shredder An outdoor workshop table Talking with visitors at a community event An artist examining recovered plastic Carrying a bag of recovered plastic Collecting plastic on a city street The Bronx workshop

Partners

  • Guardians of Flushing Bay: cleanup and workshop partner since 2026
  • Precious Plastic NYC: processing partner
  • Marine Debris Field Kit: Flushing Bay project

Before WRAP

Earlier recovered-plastic work came from Precious Plastic NYC's collaborations with artist Mika Rottenberg, including the permanent installation Rottenbar and the "Lampshares" series exhibited at Hauser & Wirth. That work predates WRAP and is credited to its makers.