Entrepreneur turns abandoned nets into skateboards

World Today

Entrepreneur turns abandoned nets into skateboards 2

An American entrepreneur has launched an environmentally friendly venture in Chile, making skateboards from discarded fishing nets.

CCTV’s Malini Wilkes has more.

In villages up and down the coast of Chile, fishermen rely on simple plastic nets to catch. They might use 15-20 fishing nets per year.

Many of the old nets get dumped in the ocean, polluting the waters and harming marine life.

American Ben Kneppers, who lives in Chile, and two of his friends created Bureo-a company dedicated to reducing plastic pollution in the ocean. Their business is to turn abandoned nets into skateboards.

Fishermen turn in their old nets at collection points along the beach and are paid by the kilogram.

The old nets are crushed and melted, then molded into fish-shaped skateboards, which were sold at shops in the U.S., Asia, Chile and online.

In 2015, Bureo collected more than 50 tons of fishing nets from 16 communities.

The company said it hopes to keep making waves with its sustainable skateboards in 2016.