Plastic alternative, MarinaTex, wins James Dyson Award

Dyson announced the winner of this year’s international, 24-year-old Lucy Hughes from the University of Sussex (U.K.). Lucy attempts to solve the problem of both single-use plastics and inefficient waste streams by harnessing fish waste to create a unique plastic alternative, MarinaTex.

MarinaTex is a bioplastic made of organic fish waste ordinarily destined for landfill or incineration and locally sourced red algae. It is a translucent and flexible sheet material, making it ideal for applications in single-use packaging. It biodegrades after four to six weeks, is suitable for home composting and does not leach toxins, removing the need for its own national waste management infrastructure. As MarinaTex uses byproducts from the fishing industry, it helps to close the loop of an existing waste stream for a more circular product lifespan. According to Lucy, one Atlantic cod could generate as much organic waste as is needed for making 1,400 bags of MarinaTex.