Fancy staying at a resort made of plastic waste in Australia?

Fancy a trip to this island in the future that’s formed from plastic waste? — AFP

A British architect has come up with an idea for creating an artificial island off the west coast of Australia, using waste collected from the ocean to form an ecological structure. The resort could welcome its first tourists in 2025.

Picture the scene: A turquoise sea, swathes of small colourful fish swimming right under your feet while you keep your eyes peeled for the occasional sea turtle. Welcome to the Cocos Islands, an archipelago located between Indonesia and the north-west coast of Australia, and which belong to the island-continent.

When you plan a future trip to this paradise destination, you could be pioneering a new kind of vacation, by heading to a destination that has put plastic pollution to practical use.

Such is the aim of Margot Krasojevi, a British architect who has designed an artificial island resort made of plastic waste collected in the Indian Ocean. The Cocos Islands are indeed facing a serious problem with plastic pollution. A study from the University of Tasmania in Australia reported in 2019 that 238 tonnes of plastic – with everything from shoes to toothbrushes – littered the seashore in 2019.

The creation of this artificial island would involve recovering and repurposing this plastic waste. The waste would be collected by large articulated arms, attached to the wooden walkways that would constitute this new kind of island paradise. The plastic waste would then be covered with a biodegradable concrete mesh.

The objective is to prevent the island from being flooded. This structure would be able to swell in contact with water and absorb sediments. In addition, the island would have the ability to expand as plastic waste is collected.

Plans for the Recycled Ocean Plastic Resort include building a hotel, but also a camping ground. Solar panels would optimise the filtering of seawater to run the showers, for example.

If the project seems crazy, it is not the first time that the idea of creating floating islands has emerged. In fact, during the MIPIM world real estate fair, held in Cannes, a prototype of a floating city in the Maldives was also presented. – AFP Relaxnews