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The issue of plastic floating around the seas, polluting our oceans and getting into the food chain, has been elevated by Swedish vacuum maker, Electrolux:

The Pacific Ocean is polluted with the largest floating garbage islands in the world. Electrolux intends to gather plastic from the worldss oceans and turn it into a number of vacuum cleaners. The initiative -- "Vac from the Sea" -- aims to bring attention to the issue of plastic pollution and at the same time combat the scarcity of recycled plastics needed for making sustainable home appliances.

The press release continues:

"There are plastic islands, some several times the size of the state of Texas, floating in our oceans. Yet on land, we struggle to get hold of enough recycled plastics to meet the demand for sustainable vacuum cleaners. What the world needs now is a better plastic karma", says Cecilia Nord, Vice President, Floor Care Environmental and Sustainability Affairs, Electrolux.

The plan is to make a limited number of vacuum cleaners from plastic debris harvested from the Pacific, the Indian Ocean, the Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and the Baltic and North Sea. The vacuum cleaners will be put on display to decision makers and consumers as part of spreading the word.

YES! Better Plastic Karma!!

Check out the video:

Greenbiz.com picked up this story recently, as well:

Not only does plastic that is in oceans kill birds and other creatures, but plastic out in the sea breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces over time, bringing with it worries that as fish and other animals eat the bits of plastic, that trash works its way back up the food chain until it ends up on our plates.

The issue of plastic waste in the ocean has now been documented and tracked by a number of groups and awareness initiatives, like 5Gyres and the Plastiki expedition, but this is the first time a company has fused that issue with its products.

Let's go Vac From The Sea!

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