Glastonbury play boat made from BPI's recycled Plaswood
Article taken from www.packagingnews.co.uk - Ben Bold 25 June 2010
Revellers visiting Glastonbury Festival's Green Kids Field this weekend will be faced with a gargantuan example of plastics recycling - a giant play ship manufactured using British Polythene Industries' (BPI) Plaswood material.
The decision to use Plaswood, a plastic-based alternative to wood which is made by BPI using waste polythene, was made by Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis, who had seen it being used in children's playgrounds and was struck by its green credentials.
The ship, which was named Cadmus by Eavis in a ceremony attended by BPI representatives and journalists, was built by luxury yacht shipwrights Mark Cann and Loz Harris.
Plaswood planks were used to construct the ship's hull and Plaswood decking was used to make the inner and outer decks and the steps.
The Cadmus measures 40ft, or 12.2m, long by 40ft high and is 20ft wide.
Cann said: "Building the Cadmus has been hard work, but it's most definitely been a labour of love. We've worked with Plaswood before to create floating pontoons and other play areas and, aside from its strong environmental credentials, it offers a number of other benefits.
"Most notably, it doesn't crack or fade, it doesn't splinter, it's totally inert and unlike wood, there's no dust created from working with it."
Every year BPI reprocesses some 68,000 tonnes of material. This is used to create products such as refuse sacks, building materials and Plaswood.
BPI director Mike Baxter said: "Our stakeholders, our customers and many in our industry are already familiar with this strong environmental focus, but we're delighted to be supporting the Cadmus as it allows us to demonstrate our greener approach to a new and particularly eco-aware audience."
Glastonbury is this year celebrating its 40th anniversary - in the same year that BPI is celebrating its centenary.
