Creative minds repurpose plastics to keep trash out of the ocean
Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/kidspost/2022/08/17/ocean-bound-plastic-recycled-toys/
Author: Andrea Sachs
Felix is part of a group of artists, environmentalists and manufacturers who are finding a second purpose for ocean plastics, which kill more than a million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals every year, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The artwork and products, which neither smell fishy nor look like the contents in your recycling bin, are important to the ocean conservation movement: They remove or deter trash from our waterways and raise awareness about the problem. Unfortunately, a lot of ocean plastics can’t be turned into everyday items. The debris is either too tiny or too deteriorated to be transformed into the pellets or fabrics that companies use as raw material. As an alternative, many businesses are grabbing the trash before it hits the water. Cutting out plastics is the best way to protect our oceans. But kids can also help the cause by playing with or wearing goods made out of ocean plastics, such as Bureo’s Minnow skateboard, 4ocean bracelets, Upcycle Hawaii’s earrings and Patagonia’s trucker hat brims, board shorts and jackets.