Architects Envision Hawaii-Sized Island Made of Recycled Plastic

A group of architects from the Netherlands have a crazy idea to take all the <a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/08/28/great-pacific-garbage-patch-is-worse-than-we-thought/" target="_blank">plastic floating out there in the Pacific Ocean</a>, and recycle it into a floating island the size of Hawaii. Climate refugees would be able to move there and live in recycled plastic homes, and work on farms or grow seaweed. The entire island would be totally self-sufficient once built, producing its own food and energy, and managing waste. While totally off the wall, this is an intriguing concept that gets our imaginations in motion about what we can do with that ginormous <a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/04/18/eco-art-chris-jordans-gyre/" target="_blank">mass of plastic floating</a> around in the ocean!

The entire island would be constructed from recycled plastic, including urban housing. Here beaches are placed near the housing for residents to enjoy.

The plastic from the Great Pacific Garbage patch would probably be enough to create a 10,000 sq km island, about the size of the big island of Hawaii.

Recycled Island would be totally self-sufficient and capable of growing all its own food. Organic matter and human waste would be composted for use as fertilizer.

Seaweed would also be farmed right offshore, which could be used for food, fertilizer, biofuel, medicine and CO2 absorption.

To make the island, a large processing ship would sail to the location of the garbage, collect the plastic, sort it, and melt it down to create plastic building blocks to build the new island.

Renewable energy would be generated from solar, wind and wave power right on the island. Photo credit: Bio Wave; wave energy. <a href="http://www.biopowersystems.com">www.biopowersystems.com</a>