Ecoalf Foundation has begun to remove trash from the seabed via fishermen off the coast of Levante (Spain). The project Upcycling the Oceans, organized in three phases, aims to show that cleaning the oceans is possible and the portion of the collected materials can be recycled into pellets, thread, fabric and products.

The three phases of the project are:

STEP I

• Recover: the fishermen collect marine debris with their nets on a daily basis, which they deposit in containers placed on their boats.
• Deposit: each port has a container where fishermen deposit the debris recovered from the seabed every day.
• Collect and separate: once a week the foundation pick up the containers at each port and classify the debris that is collected, recovering the plastic (PET) and recycling the remaining litter through conventional recycling methods.

STEP II

• Recycle: starts the cleaning, crushing and storage process of the resulting plastic chips.
• Convert: chippings are obtained at the end of the polymerization process.
• Manufacture: it is produced a continuous filament from the extrusion and spinning of polymer pellets.

STEP III

• Weave: the thread is weaved to get the best quality fabric with properties and design that are as good as the best non-recycled fabric.
• Design: Ecoalf creates products manufactured with thread made of debris recycled from the bottom of the ocean.

Visit the project website