Plastic@Bay raised £5,000 to develop machines that will recycle ocean plastic picked up from local beaches and give it a second life.

Their Plastic Lab is developing machinery prototypes to make fence posts from waste plastic with the help of the Aviva Community Fund.

Plastic@Bay cofounder Dr Joan D’Arcy says, “It’s important to give ocean plastic a second life because if we don’t recycle it, it ends up in landfill. We’re keeping what other people have thought of as waste and basically putting it back into circulation. When we recycle ocean plastic into a clock or a fence post, it’s something that’s going to be around for many, many more years.”

As co-founder Julien Moreau explained, the intention of the project is to create value from waste. The organisation picks up between five and 10 tons of plastic waste from local beaches each year – and could pick up even more with additional helpers. Instead of just sending the waste plastic to landfill, for every fence post they make, the Plastic Lab could recycle around 16kg of ocean plastic. 

On top of reducing plastic pollution, products made from recycled plastic generally create up to 82% less carbon emissions than those made with virgin plastic. And Plastic@Bay has a good market for the fence posts on their doorstep due to the farming community they are part of – keeping the carbon footprint even lower.

Importantly, by clearing plastic from local beaches, the team are also helping to prevent danger and death to wildlife and are playing a part in helping to prevent tiny plastic particles entering the food chain. So, with the help of Aviva’s funding, Plastic@Bay can achieve more of their environmental aims. Together, we can make a brighter future happen. Getting there takes you. It takes Aviva.

Have you got a smart thinking project that needs support?  Apply for the Aviva Community Fund today. 

You can follow Plastic@Bay to learn about their work on Facebook or take a look at their website.