Floating Recycled Plastic Park

Plastic pollution is a huge problem worldwide, and cities around the world are now implementing various initiatives to stem the tide of disposable, single-use plastics before it gets out into the environment or into the oceans. In the Netherlands,Recycled Island Foundation has been working for the last five years to create Recycled Park, a floating park that’s made out of 28 recycled plastic hexagons, which now act as micro-habitats for plants and animals like snails, worms, insect, fish and birds.

Measuring 140 square metres (1,500 square feet), Recycled Park’s hexagons are made out of plastics that were collected using passive plastic litter traps and during volunteer clean-ups of the shoreline.

The aim of this iconic Recycled Park is to illustrate that recycled plastic from the open waters is a valuable material and suitable for recycling. By re-using the retrieved plastics and by producing building blocks with them, the plastics receives new value. As an extra the building blocks create a new green area: Recycled Park. Floating green structures are a plus for the city and have an ecological function in the river as habitat for micro and macro fauna.

Working with Wageningen University, these plastics were then sorted, analyzed and processed into a recycled material that could float and was also strong. In collaboration with students from Rotterdam University and TU Delft, a method was developed to attach the blocks together to form larger masses.

The hexagonal blocks can vary in height, and could potentially even carry a tree using planters on top, while the underside can be designed in a way that encourage sea vegetation to flourish.

In the variation of building blocks different new landscapes will arise. A new city park can be constructed that will have its own unique character as floating landscape in the river.

The floating park can take a valuable role in the city expansion on the water where we facilitate in a public green area for the neighborhood as well the city. The city park can facilitate all regular green facilities as sport- and playfields, together with more water-related programs.

References:

1. https://www.treehugger.com/urban-design/rotterdam-floating-recycled-park-made-out-reclaimed-trash.html

By- Dr. Bhawana Asnani.

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