DIY network features island created from plastic bottles

John Beal didn’t just want an island—he wanted an off-the-grid, movable, floating island. So he called Richart Sowa and his son Eden and gave them 30 days to build a floating island off the coast of Yucatan at Isla Mujeres.

It wasn’t the first floating island the Sowas had built. For the foundation, they collected 25,000 waste bottles, put them into plastic mesh bags, and attached the bags together in a double layer. They built the island in two parts: One was a larger island that contained the house with a roof that held a mirrored cooker on top, planters to grow various edibles, solar panels and a washing machine that “agitated” with the rocking motion of the ocean.

The second section was a motorized dinghy that docks into the main island and can be taken into town to fetch supplies.

Bottle Island, as it was called on the DIY network show, actually worked and Beal was pleased with the results.

There are many ways to reuse plastic bottles. Building a floating, moveable island is just one of them.