Man Uses Over 150,000 Recycled Water Bottles To Build His Own Floating Island

Feb 10, 2020 by apost team

Plastic water bottles are among the most common items found in recycling centers around the world. Thankfully, these types of bottles can be recycled into just about anything, as proven by British ecological builder, Richard Sowa. Like many people, Sowa is an environmentalist and used his artistic eye to create an architectural wonder: an island made entirely of plastic bottles.

The 61-year-old Sowa first constructed an island of plastic bottles in 2005, but it was destroyed by a storm. Sowa’s second foray into making an island out of plastic bottles also failed, but the artist did not lose his persistence. On his third attempt, Sowa decided to build the island in a lagoon rather than the open ocean. The results have been an amazing island paradise made out of over 150,000 bottles.

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Sowa used his prior experience as a carpenter to help him build a 25-meter-long foundation that would be able to stand the stresses created by hurricanes and other inclement weather conditions. The frame of the foundation was made of bamboo and included wood pellets and sand. Sowa then ensured that the frame would be buoyant by attaching thousands of bags of air-filled plastic containers to it. These containers are strong enough to support the house that he spent years building on the island, which he calls Joyxee Island.

Sowa moved to Joyxee Island in 2008 and spent 7 years building an eco-friendly home on the man-made island. Sowa’s three-story home is made of seashells and has all the amenities one would expect of a modern house, including two bedrooms, a shower, and a kitchen powered by solar panels. Running water is collected from rain using conch sells and a cable from the mainland provides internet access.

Sowa’s next project is to make Joyxee Island completely self-sufficient. To that end, the artist has planted fruit trees and plants for food. The fruits and vegetables from Joyxee suit Sowa perfectly as he is a vegetarian, but for greater diversity, he rides his bike to a grocery store in town. Sowa gets to shore using a ferry, which he also built using plastic bottles.

After building Joyxee, Sowa lived on the island alone until he met former Japanese supermodel Jodi Bowlin. Bowlin became enamored of Sowa and his eco-friendly lifestyle, eventually moving to the island in 2014. Sowa and Bowlin now live happily on Joyxee Island with their pet dog.

What do you think of how Sowa constructed Joyxee Island using plastic water bottles? Can you think of any other unconventional ways we can better use recyclables? Pass this along so you and others can brainstorm and let us know!