"Legacy Plastic allows companies to meet their sustainability goals to manufacture their product using local, high quality, post-consumer recycled content that have a relatively lower carbon footprint compared to virgin plastic production." — Gil Yaron
ccto: Joanne Lee-Young
Legacy Plastic pellets are made from high-grade 100 per cent post-consumer processed recycled plastic recovered during ocean, shoreline, and marine equipment cleanups. With the introduction of Legacy Plastic, companies can use recycled marine plastics in their products, continuing to close the loop on plastic management systems.jpg
A Richmond-based non-profit is marketing a small pellet made from recycled plastic waste collected during ocean, shoreline and marine equipment cleanups.
Ocean Legacy Foundation said companies can be part of addressing ocean pollution by using these pellets instead of creating new plastic for their various commercial needs.
The pellets, which go by the name of Legacy Plastic, are made of recovered gear such as fishing ropes, buoys, floats, oyster trays and other plastic debris that is collected along the Pacific Coast and reprocessed. They also consist of plastic gathered during shoreline cleanups along the Pacific Northwest coastline and plastic that is recovered during expeditions farther out into the ocean.
The foundation is now hoping to create a program so its plastic recycling and developing of this pellet can be profitable and give it a revenue stream.
“Legacy Plastic allows companies to meet their sustainability goals to manufacture their product using local, high quality, post-consumer recycled content that have a relatively lower carbon footprint compared to virgin plastic production,” said Gil Yaron, director of sales and marketing for Ocean Legacy.
The non-profit soft launched the pellets in 2021 and said it is getting interest from companies that want to incorporate recycled content into their products.
For example, it is partnering with an Alberta company, Full Circle Plastics, which makes plastic lumber that is replacing the use of traditional wood in products such as planter boxes, agriculture fence posts, outdoor decking construction and all kinds of outdoor furniture. It has been working with local businesses and municipalities to source plastic from Alberta and other provinces. Now, it will be using the Legacy Plastic pellets to make benches.
Ocean Legacy said each batch of pellets can be traced to where and when the recycled plastic was sourced, allowing companies to pass this information to customers.