British retail giant Marks & Spencer has launched Beach Clean Frisbees, a flying disc made from recycled plastic, some of which was collected on beaches on the United Kingdom.
The Frisbees retail for 2.50 pounds ($4.21) each, with 50 pence (84 cents) from each sale going to the Marine Conservation Society.
Mike Barry, director of Plan A, M&S' environment and ethical program, said: “We've managed to transform waste, taking it off beaches where it threatens marine life, into a brand new product that is fun for our customers and raises money for MCS' on-going work to protect our seas.
“That's Plan A in action, a volunteer event that engages customers, saves precious raw materials and gives back to charity – all with a business case behind it.”
Two U.K. firms supported the project: Axion Polymers, a recycling specialist based in Salford, England, transformed the litter into product-grade recycled plastic, and Make a Material Difference, based in Leicester, created and manufactured the product.
Marks & Spencer says that at least 10 percent of the recycled plastic came from a volunteer effort by its employees and customers to clean 300 kilometers of U.K. beaches last year. The discs were part of a trial to determine if the material could be used, the companies and volunteers segregated, cleaned and reprocessed the plastic from six beaches into a production-ready recycled plastic.
