Jose Cuervo uses agave waste for biodegradable straws, Ford and McDonald’s use coffee waste for car parts, half-a-million hermit crabs die from plastic pollution on remote islands, retirees turn plastic bags into mats for the homeless, and more.
Dutch company Recycled Island Foundation is incorporating Litter Traps into waterside parkways in the Netherlands. Read article here.
INITIATIVES
Women in Virginia are giving plastic shopping bags new lives as sleeping mats for the homeless. The women from Village at the Orchard in Winchester, VA, turn used shopping bags into plastic yarn, or “plarn.” Then, they crochet them into colorful mats that are donated to people living in poverty in their local county. Talk about up-cycling! Read more on the Washington Post.
Dutch company Recycled Island Foundation (RIF) is incorporating Litter Traps into floating parks along rivers in the Netherlands. The Litter Traps are made from recycled materials, and they replicate marine ecosystems while collecting trash along the waterways. See the designs and read more about the initiative on Inhabitat.
A European project, OCEANETS, has begun testing a tool that uses GPS to track and recover fishing gear before it is abandoned. This tool could help solve one of the biggest issues in marine pollution to date - ghost nets. Moreover, the project is also looking into recycling recovered gear into new products. Find out more on British Plastics and Rubber Magazine.
PACKAGING
Next year, Coca Cola and AB InBev will replace plastic six-pack rings with paper alternatives. The roll-out will take place in Europe, where single-use plastics will be banned in 2021. Although the design has been in development for 25 years, it is only now, due to increased consumer demand in Europe, that the shift is taking place. Read more on Fast Company.
UK brand CanO Water is launching “infinitely recyclable” packaged water in Singapore. The company is targeting plastic-addicted Singapore residents as an alternative to plastic bottles. Two can styles will be offered: a disposable can with an aluminum ring pull, and a reusable can with a plastic resealable cap. Find out more on Eco-Business.
PRODUCTS
Jose Cuervo intends to turn leftover agave fibers from tequila-making into bio-based drinking straws. The company will roll out the initiative in 2020 across the U.S. and Mexico. The initiative is set to replace millions of plastic straws, and the agave-based alternative is said to biodegrade within 1-5 years in landfill conditions. Read more on PR Newswire.
Reebok has hopped onto the sustainable fashion train. Its latest sustainable footwear collection is the Forever Floatride GROW, Reebok’s plant-based shoe that is biodegradable and crafted from eucalyptus tree fibers. Check it out on Hypebeast.
TECHNOLOGY
Ford and McDonald’s are developing ways to use coffee roasting waste into products such as car parts. The process uses coffee chaff, or the papery skin that comes off coffee beans during the roasting process. The chaff is heated up in a low-oxygen environment, then mixed with plastics to be used in application such as headlamp housings. Find out more about this innovation on CNET.
Recycling is getting increasingly tech-savvy, as German association BIOTA is using blockchain and cryptocurrency to encourage recycling. The project, called ‘Deposy,’ would require packaging to come with a QR code. This code can be scanned by the vending machine, and electronic funds can be directly deposited into the recycler’s digital wallet. Read more about the system on Ledger Insights.
OTHER NEWS
Plastic pollution has killed half a million hermit crabs on the Cocos Islands and Henderson Island. The crabs often die after getting trapped inside a plastic container with the opening tilted upward, preventing them from escaping. Both of these Island regions are highly polluted, and it this research is calling attention to the toll that plastic can take on land, in addition to submerged ocean plastic. Read more on the Guardian.
It’s not plastic, but Mexican artist Pedro Reyes has molded more than 1,500 guns into shovels for planting trees. The project is meant to show that something so harmful can be turned into something that promotes life. Moreover, those who donated their guns for the project were given a coupon, allowing them to buy electronics and appliances. Read more on Colossal.