Zsilt: Beach toys made of plastic waste (NL)
The founder of the Hague company Zsilt loves the beach. Unfortunately, she often came across things that obviously didn’t belong there: pieces of rope, polystyrene foam, fishing nets and especially a lot of plastic waste. That’s how it started a few years ago. Since 2020 Zsilt’s beach products are available on the market: a bucket, a scoop and a sieve, a rake, a toy boat and sand moulds. Made entirely from plastic waste from the Netherlands, and designed by Rinke van Remortel, known for the design of the Dopper drinking water bottle.
“For some things, plastic is difficult to replace with something else. With our beach toys, we show that you can make the most beautiful, fun and safest toys in the world with recycled plastic,” says Polianne van Oord, director of Zsilt.
The Zsilt beach toys are made in the Netherlands. Zsilt works with regranulate that is made from plastic from household waste. An injection molding machine then makes the products from it. “We want to make a statement against the plastic waste on our beaches and seas. If we are seriously against plastic in the sea, as a result we must deal with plastic ‘at sea’ differently too. Simply, by looking critically at what we put in our beach bag, what those things are made of, and how we can improve it if possible. With Zsilt beach toys we are taking a first step in this.”
The toys last a long time, Van Oord emphasizes. “And at the end of their lifespan, the products can easily be recycled into new regranulate from which we can make new products. This is how we keep the plastic chain closed.”
