Context

At the 2017 Glastonbury music festival, the event organisers collected and recycled a large amount of plastic for recycling, and the founder of Glastonbury, Michael Eavis, decided that this year he wanted to feature a unique example of how some of that plastic could be used.

A unique structure was built called the 'Cadmus' - a 40 foot long, 20 foot wide play ship constructed from the recycled plastic material, Plaswood.

Products used

Plaswood is manufactured by British Polythen Industries, which is one of Europe's largest manufacturers and recyclers of waste polythene. Plaswood is used as an alternative to wood in a wide range of applications such as jetties, pontoons and decking. For this project, Plaswood planks were used to build the ship's hull and decking, as well as the inner and outer play decks and steps.

Testimonials

Mark Cann, one of the shipwrights who worked on the project, 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. The finished ship looks fantastic and all of the team, Michael Eavis included, is absolutely delighted with it.”

The director at BPI, Mike Baxter, said: “BPI is at the vanguard in making polythene a more sustainable choice. Not only are we Europe’s largest polythene recycling but we are a leader in developing 100% recyclable products that are also downgauged – meaning more performance is offered from less material.?

“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 particular eco-aware audience.”