This Dutch city has made a floating park out of plastic waste

London, October 26: Many assume all trash ends up in a landfill or unfortunately, in our oceans, but in one European city they're turning the city's plastic debris into something their community can actually use - a floating, public park.

 

Recycled Park is a floating park in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, made entirely out of recycled plastic collected from the same river its now floating in. Not only is it a unique space for the community to visit, but the floating park also cleans the Nieuwe Maas River, stopping plastics from the city before they make their way towards the ocean.

Almost five years in the making, from designing the park to recovering plastic, turning it into something new, and raising funds, Recycled Island Foundation finally debuted the park prototype earlier this month on July 4th.

The park has been constructed from modular hexagonal sections, meaning that it can continue to expand as new material is collected. Not only does the park serve to reduce plastic pollution but it's also designed as a wildlife habitat for microfaunae such as snails, flatworms, larva, beetles, and fish.

 

Recycled Park isn't the only project around the world where people are considering the environmental impact of pollution in their local area. More individuals and communities around the world are looking to find creative ways to reuse plastic in ways that highlight the plastic pollution problem and challenge its viewers to consider how their lifestyles impact the planet.