Polluting River Keekle plastic turned into picnic bench
Tonnes of degrading plastic which was polluting a river has been made into a picnic bench on the riverbank.
The sheeting was installed more than 20 years ago in the River Keekle near Whitehaven in Cumbria to protect it from contamination from nearby mine works. But the plastic started to degrade and was washing into the sea before it was removed in the summer. It has now been turned into plastic lumber by a recycling firm in Dumfries. The plastic was shredded before it was transported to the recycling plant where it was turned into components used to create garden furniture. Katherine Lorek-Wallace, general manager for Plaswood, Berry BPI, said they got involved in the project because the plastic would have "most likely ended in landfill". "I think it's a great example that all plastics can be recycled and all plastics can be given a second life," she added. Luke Bryant, from West Cumbria Rivers Trust, said it was "amazing" to see one of the picnic benches being installed on the riverbank. "We are really, really thrilled," he added. So far a tenth of the river's 2.5km plastic sheeting has been cleared and the rest will be removed next year. Follow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk.