Ocean waste becomes beach cleaning equipment!
The 2 Minute foundation (https://beachclean.net/) is a charity dedicated to cleaning up the planet, 2 minutes at a time. They've recently released images of their latest innovation, dubbed "The biggest breakthrough in beach cleaning in 15 years" by the Foundation's CEO, Martin Dorey.
In conjunction with Yorkshire based company ReWorked (www.reworked.com), they've created a litter picking station made entirely out of collected ocean plastic. The solution enables marine litter to become something positive, rather than going to landfill or polluting waterways & natural habitats.
A massive issue with beach & ocean waste is that it's often partly degraded or covered in bio-waste/dirt. This, combined with a mixture of materials, poses a problem. Much of the collected waste was going to landfill and considered non-recyclable, which didn't fit well with the #2MinuteBeachClean ethos.
ReWorked offered a solution to the issues, providing new insight and a willingness to innovate. Using intricate cleaning techniques residues & environmental waste is removed from the plastics. This waste is then shredded into 5mm pieces & balanced to an exact (secret) recipe. The blend often contains waste plastic collected from manufacturing waste streams, canal cleans, take-back schemes etc.
The shredded plastic mix is layered into a board making mill, heated to above 200C & pressed into plastic boards. The boards go on to become the iconic, new #2MinuteBeachClean litter picking stations.
This is a stunning example of a closed-loop process in action, doing good for the planet in more ways than one and diverting tonnes of ocean plastic away from landfill. The prototypes have been approved; ReWorked will take 3 tonnes of ocean waste collected by the charity to create the first beach cleaning 100 stations.
But how can you help? Their next steps are...
Getting sponsors to help roll out the stations all over the UK and beyond.
Sourcing green transport to help us transport marine litter to our processor.
Find more volunteer beach cleaners who can gather and store marine plastic.
Seeking funding to make the first 100 stations.
Contact nicky@2minute.org if you can help them out in any way.
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ABOUT REWORKED
Reworked take hard-to-recycle waste or recycled materials and re-introduce them back into the supply chain. We manufacture bespoke products that are 100% recycled & circular. Non-recyclable is not in our vocabulary.
The consequences of plastic usage are clear to see, scattered among our natural environments. Our overuse & attitude towards its disposal has left our planet in despair and at a point nearing no return.
We hope for a future where no more virgin plastic is produced, instead recycled plastic is reworked.
ANY QUESTIONS - email Izzie at marketing@reworked.com