Eco-Friendly Floating Parks

The challenge is enormous

The Recycled Island Foundation gathered debris from Rotterdam's Maas River and port to create a floating park for the public to visit. The main concept of the new site is to highlight the importance of recycling plastic. The floating park sits at 140 square meters and is comprised of hexagon blocks made completely from recycled plastic waste. This project is beneficial for the river's ecosystem, as it serves as a habitat for both micro and macrofauna such as snails, fish, beetles and flatworms.

In order to gather all the waste from Maas River, the Recycled Island Foundation prototyped three passive litter traps that all went through testing and trials for a year and a half. The litter traps catch plastic debris using the streamline of the river. The new park has been developed in partnership with the Rotterdam Municipality and has also implemented floating green structures to initiate thoughts for ecology in the city's harbor. It gives a place for vegetation to grow, which allows organisms to find food and shelter.