Recreational diver Rob Thompson was removing ghost nets from the ocean when he got the idea of using the marine recycled plastic to create kayaks.
He has started a company known as Odyssey Innovation Inc. which is now working with the Ocean Recovery Project, charities, NGOs, government bodies, and many others in order to find long-term sustainable solutions to tackle marine plastic pollution.
The company was created to help solve three big issues in regards to ocean cleanup. The first of those being how to get access to the inaccessible coves, estuaries and other areas that regular beach cleaners are unable to reach. We are big supporters of their decision to use a kayak for this task.
The second is how to dispose of the plastic that gets recovered from the ocean during these clean-ups. Thompson discusses in the video that there is a lot of high-quality plastics that were currently going to waste. He has found a way for these to be converted into plastic pellets which can then be used to create these kayaks, giving the plastic new life.
The final issue that this company is solving is generating the money to fund these cleaning activities. In many ways, this solution comes around full circle and seems to be one that can support itself.
We were excited to see a company that is focusing on cleaning waterways while also finding a way to get more people on the water. For more information on their project, you can visit Odyssey Innovation.
