Even as more plastic waste accumulates in our oceans, creative minds are devising innovative ways to reuse post-consumer plastic to help our environment. Such is the case of the German REWE Group which plans to create plastic floating islands planted with papyrus, then use them to help rebuild the ecosystem of Africa’s Lake Naivasha.

The papyrus restoration partnership between UK-owned tea producer and flower grower Finlays and Dr David Harper, a Senior Lecturer at the University of Leicester, is intended to revitalize the decimated lakeshore papyrus which traditionally act as biofilters for the once crystal-clear lake in Kenya’s Rift Valley and, hopefully, dramatically improve and restore the lake’s water quality.

These BioHaven Floating Islands, made from recycled polyester drink bottles by U.S.-based Floating Island Southeast, will be anchored in the mouth of the main river, the Malewa, once the papyrus has been planted to trap silt before it reaches the lake. If successful, more island will be planted at other locations around the lake’s shoreline. Let’s hope that this is the first step to a full restoration of this once beautiful lake.