New Jenga Ocean Game Is Made From Recycled Fishing Nets

By  Amanda Froelich Truth Theory

Want to have fun and preserve the environment? Consider playing the new Jenga Ocean game  at your next house party.

Earlier this year, the skateboard company Bureo launched a Chilean program called Net Positive that recycles old fishing nets. The brand used the ocean plastic for its skateboards and sunglasses. Now, other companies — such as Jenga and Pokonobe Associates — are purchasing the plastic for their own products.

As TreeHugger reports, the recycling of fishing nets is quite simple. According to Bureo, “The old nets are gathered and cleaned by local partners, then taken to a factory for mechanical shredding. They are melted and turned into plastic pellets, at which point they are no different from virgin pellets.”

A good portion of that plastic was used to create the new Jenga Ocean game. Reportedly, it requires 25 square feet of fishing net (or approximately 2.2 lbs, 1 kg) to make a single box set. That’s not all — all of the packaging is 100 percent recycled and recyclable.

Each block features illustrations of sea creatures that are at risk of entanglement in rogue fission nets. Finally, “Special Edition” rules provide background information on ocean plastic pollution. According to the makers, the intention is for players to “gain an understanding of how discarded nets are harming marine animals and learn about what they can do.”

There are two main perks to the Jenga Ocean game: consumers are educated on the why it is important to keep the environment clean, and plastic waste is prevented from contaminating the oceans.

Believe it or not, fishing nets make up approximately 10 percent of all plastic waste and can drift for years in the ocean. In fact, it is not uncommon for one net to entangle up to 30 to 40 sea creatures. Most of the animals that are caught include sharks, turtles, seals, whales, and dolphins. Unable to get free, many die from starvation or suffocation.

The cost of the Jenga Ocean game is $49.95 at Bureo. While that is a bit steep for a family game, consider the good you’re doing by keeping plastic waste out of the ocean.

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Read more: Plastic Pollution: Is The Ocean Becoming Enough Of An Environmental Concern For Both Governments And Consumers?

Image Credit: Jenga Ocean