The city of Tucson added some park benches recently. What is particularly notable about these benches is that they are made of ByBlocks, sturdy blocks made of plastic waste. I had to know more: had anything else been made with this stuff? Where did they get the plastic? I visited their website to find out.
The blocks are made from unrecyclable plastic, which is collected from local residents in cities, or in partnership with groups like the Ocean Voyages Institute, who helped them repurpose tons of plastic from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. All that plastic gets shredded first, then fused together in a machine and comes out as industrial-sized blocks that have good thermal and sound insulation. The blocks are made to stack on one another, and have slots in them so that any project can be reinforced with metal rods.
These blocks have been used to make not only benches, but also a trash can enclosure, a pavilion at a school, and a surprisingly pretty low fence around some grass.