Embargoed until 00.01am 13 July 2021
Bristol catches a beauty ‘Seacycler’ hits the water in Bristol Harbour to tackle pollution with plastic fishing trips 13 July 2021: Today a new vessel in the battle to clean up plastic pollution in Britain’s waterways – ‘Seacycler’ - will be unveiled in Bristol. Launched by environmental charity Hubbub, the 12-seater punt is made from 99% recycled plastic and will be permanently based in Bristol Harbour, a beautiful area spanning 83 acres that attracts many visitors each year but also considerable amounts of litter. Funded equally by Bunzl and Danone UK & Ireland, Seacycler has been donated to awardwinning education consultants Sustainable Hive. The boat will take local people out on ‘plastic fishing’ trips to raise awareness of the growing levels of plastic pollution in Bristol’s waterways and to educate local schoolchildren and businesses about the impact of litter on the environment and the value of recycling plastic. Seacycler is made from single-use plastic and is only the sixth of its kind in the world. The craftsman tasked with building the boat is expert boat-builder Mark Edwards MBE, who also built the Queen’s barge ‘Gloriana’. The design is based on a traditional punt, but it’s made from the most modern of materials – Plaswood. This hardwearing alternative to wood is made entirely from recycled plastic, some of which was repurposed from packaging recycled by employees at Danone’s UK offices. The vessel is powered by a rechargeable electric motor, making it the most sustainable of boats. The Lord Mayor of Bristol will today officially launch the boat and take part in its maiden voyage, departing the harbour near Underfall Yard. Following its launch, Seacycler will be moored at Young Bristol pontoon where plastic fishing trips will set off from. With each trip, the boat will help remove more plastic debris from Bristol Harbour, which will then be recycled and go towards making further boats with the same aim - a fantastic example of the circular economy in action. The first punt made from recycled plastic, the Poly-Mer, was launched in London in 2017 and so far has taken 2,700 people plastic fishing, collecting 2,819 plastic bottles from the Docklands to be used to build more recycled plastic boats. In 2019, Hubbub launched the plastic fishing tour which included a week-long visit to Bristol. 1,649 people went Plastic Fishing over the course of the year and 90% of volunteers pledged not to use a plastic bottle for a month after their experience.