Japanese Coast Guard Experiments with PET Bottle Lifesavers

Published December 15, 2008

Tags: Design, Design & Innovation, More... Design, Design & Innovation, Innovation

Who needs expensive life vests when you can make cheap lifesavers out of used plastic bottles?

The Kagawa Pref. Regional Japanese Coast Guard is experimenting with PET bottle lifesavers at three popular fishing breakwaters in an attempt to save both money and lives.

The plastic lifesavers cost only ¥200, while new lifesavers cost ¥5000 to ¥20,000 depending on the size.

Japan's Coast Guard first started using PET bottle flotation devices after junior high school students rescued a drowning person with a raft cobbled together from 16 plastic bottles.

Ariel Schwartz is a blogger for GreenBiz.com and the editor of Cleantechnica.com. A graduate of Vassar College, she has previously worked in marketing, organic farming, and newspaper journalism.

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