Rotterdam debuts recycled floating park
Recycled Park It's new and it's special. It is new because it was inaugurated last **July 4th in the port of Rotterdam** and it is special because the entire structure of this park has been made with plastics taken from the waters of the Meuse and subsequently recycled.
Keep in mind that its surface reaches 140 square meters , so the garbage that this river carries to the sea is not a small thing.
This project, behind which are Recycled Island Foundation and WHIM architecture in collaboration with the City of Rotterdam and HEBO Martiemservice, has three objectives: prevent plastic from ending up in the North Sea, raise public awareness about plastic pollution and show what can be done with recycled materials.
The objective? Prevent plastic from ending up in the sea
“So far, we have received positive feedback. Most people are excited about waste removal and the new floating landscape, especially with how nature occupies the park”, they explain to Traveler.es from the Recycled Island Foundation.
Total, 28 blocks create this new floating park, 28 blocks made with the waste collected with traps located at strategic points of the Meuse river (Keilehaven, Maashaven and Rhijnspoorkade) and by volunteers who collect the accumulated out of the water.
“Recycled Park is a collaborative project with volunteers, a naval service company, engineers, recycling companies, environmentalists, students, universities, government institutions…”, they indicate.
Everything collected is subsequently screened to clean the material and choose what can have a second life. The plastics are recycled to give them a new value, creating the hexagonal blocks that are assembled and deposited in the water. Its design is such that not only plants can grow on its surface, but in the submerged part there is also space for fish to lay their eggs.
The park, which is open to the public, has "a permit for ten years, but we hope that it reaches a life expectancy of 50", he tells us from the Recycled Island Foundation, later insisting that “We must stop the arrival of plastic garbage in the sea”.
Garbage collection and recycling process