New floating park in Rotterdam
A brand new floating park in Rotterdam by ‘The Recycled Island Foundation’ has just taken shape and yet again it’s innovative!
You may have seen the giant dome (the floating pavilion) on Rotterdam’s water, surrounded by floating trees – well now there is also a 1,500 square foot floating park to accompany it. It opened a few days ago and it’s a space where people can relax out on the water, but it’s made completely out of recycled materials. Not just any old recycled materials either. Rotterdam’s waterways get littered with plastic and this is collected and has been turned into this floating park. What an amazing idea!
So, how does it work?
Like I said before, the hexagonal pods are made from recycled plastic that has been collected from Rotterdam’s waters. It took a year and a half to collect the plastic and has meant that lots of plastic has not gone to waste. Here’s how it works:
Alongside this, these ‘litter traps’ have been designed to collect further plastic that may be littered into Rotterdam’s waters, and prevent it from going out to sea. Eventually, there will be enough plastic to create more floating parks. I’ve actually seen this before and have always wondered what it was – so cool!
Who does this benefit?
There are so many benefits to this new floating haven. For the residents and visitors of Rotterdam, it’s a cool place to relax and definitely one for Instagram too. Rotterdam maintains its reputation for being innovative and caring about the surroundings. The environment benefits massively, as lots of plastic is being collected from Rotterdam’s waters and preventing it from going out to sea. Of course, then it’s recycled, so that’s even better.
These pods can also attract wildlife and give them a place to nest. Then of course plants and other greenery can grow as well.
So far it’s just a prototype of something which is eventually going to be much bigger (see pic below). It’s still open to the public now though, so go and check it out for yourself – it’s super cool!
What are your thoughts on the new ‘floating park’? Let us know in the comments.
