Floating park is made entirely from recycled plastic

A new public space uses repurposed plastic to build a floating park in Rotterdam while its design also prevents more plastic waste from entering the ocean.

The fight against plastic pollution has never been bigger, with awareness spreading via social media and news outlets. In the past many people were unaware of the impact their single-use plastic consumption was having on the environment and, most notably, oceans and rivers. Now the public is more conscious than ever before. There is an increased demand for systems and innovations to be put in place to reuse plastic and reduce the need for it altogether. One innovation has reimagined plastic carrier bags into sports apparel that can actually be worn. Elsewhere, plastic was used as building blocks in the Philippines for a unique take on repurposing waste.

Now Recycled Park has come up with a new way to reuse plastic by opening a floating park at Rotterdam’s harbour. The landscape demonstrates the potential for much bigger floating landscapes made with recycled plastics in future. Additionally, the organization uses huge litter traps in Rotterdam’s river to retrieve abandoned plastics. The park is constructed in a variation of hexagonal building blocks thought up by students at Rotterdam University. These blocks are hexagonal and are connected with a pen. The building blocks are adorned with greenery for both an aesthetic and nature-driven impact. As a result, fish, birds and other organisms can nest and breed along the green shore.

The floating park contributes to greening the city and improving the ecosystem in the Rotterdam harbour. Recycled Park hopes that with the development of the building blocks, plastic pollution will decrease. The organization is already exploring alternative building materials that can help the cause even further. How could your company’s actions have a positive effect on reducing single-use plastic pollution?