Last Tuesday, I was wandering along Blu Beach, daydreaming about my latest Crab Race victory when I smacked into an invisible wall.  “You don’t often find plastic bottles washed up at Landaa,” whispered a voice in the wind.

I looked up to see a Black Swallowtail Butterfly.  “Hi. I’m Beebie,” he smiled. “We’ve been bottling water onsite and had a plastic straw ban for years.  But plastic floats for miles, it’s tricky to escape it!”

I had to agree, Landaa’s shores were usually pristine.  And I’d heard about the team’s clean-up dives; cloth bags at the staff shop; the Resort’s recycling stations; and the recycling program that Landaa runs with three local island councils and schools. But what actually happened to the plastic?

“Landaa partners with ‘Parley For The Oceans’,” explained Beebie. “They’re committed to cleaning up the oceans. We send waste plastic to Taiwan where Parley transforms it into yarn which is used by brands like Adidas to make new products.”

I stared at the bottle in amazement. What an incredible transformation! But my wonder waned as I recalled an article I had read the other day in National Seagraphic. An estimated 8.3 billion plastic straws pollute the world’s beaches with a further 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic littering the oceans. It was a scary thought…

Last Tuesday, I was wandering along Blu Beach, daydreaming about my latest Crab Race victory when I smacked into an invisible wall.  “You don’t often find plastic bottles washed up at Landaa,” whispered a voice in the wind.

I looked up to see a Black Swallowtail Butterfly.  “Hi. I’m Beebie,” he smiled. “We’ve been bottling water onsite and had a plastic straw ban for years.  But plastic floats for miles, it’s tricky to escape it!”

I had to agree, Landaa’s shores were usually pristine.  And I’d heard about the team’s clean-up dives; cloth bags at the staff shop; the Resort’s recycling stations; and the recycling program that Landaa runs with three local island councils and schools. But what actually happened to the plastic?

“Landaa partners with ‘Parley For The Oceans’,” explained Beebie. “They’re committed to cleaning up the oceans. We send waste plastic to Taiwan where Parley transforms it into yarn which is used by brands like Adidas to make new products.”

I stared at the bottle in amazement. What an incredible transformation! But my wonder waned as I recalled an article I had read the other day in National Seagraphic. An estimated 8.3 billion plastic straws pollute the world’s beaches with a further 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic littering the oceans. It was a scary thought…

“Don’t be so downhearted, Kaku”, soothed Beebie. “In the first year of working with Parley, we stopped nearly 1.5 tons of plastic from being dumped or burnt in the Maldives. Surely you’ve heard about the butterfly effect?  All it takes is a small flutter of change to start a much bigger movement… just one person to inspire their family and friends; to say no to plastic straws and PET bottles; to take a reusable bag to the shops; to refill old jam jars, carry a reusable water bottle, and choose ethical brands. Small flutters of change can lead to big transformations.”

I was so inspired that I gathered my crustacean friends to help me carry the bottle to the recycling centre, then continued my daydream, wondering which Real Madrid footballer might be wearing it soon.

“Don’t be so downhearted, Kaku”, soothed Beebie. “In the first year of working with Parley, we stopped nearly 1.5 tons of plastic from being dumped or burnt in the Maldives. Surely you’ve heard about the butterfly effect?  All it takes is a small flutter of change to start a much bigger movement… just one person to inspire their family and friends; to say no to plastic straws and PET bottles; to take a reusable bag to the shops; to refill old jam jars, carry a reusable water bottle, and choose ethical brands. Small flutters of change can lead to big transformations.”

I was so inspired that I gathered my crustacean friends to help me carry the bottle to the recycling centre, then continued my daydream, wondering which Real Madrid footballer might be wearing it soon.