CLEANING

Cleaning is an essential stage of the upcycling process for plastic fishing gear because unlike other plastic waste, this gear has been in the ocean for a considerable amount of time and has a lot of sea debris latching onto it.

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Each material sample is cut into a smaller sample to be cleaned by hand using water and an eco-friendly cleaning agent. When finished, the water is poured through an old fabric sheet to separate it from any fallen sea debris or microplastics. While handwashing the plastic fishing gear may not be the quickest form of cleaning, it can be effective, as small pieces of waste can easily be removed from the fishing gear.

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Additionally, the use of soap is not mandatory; however, if the material is to be upcycled well into new designs, it may be necessary to remove any unpleasant odours attached to the gear, specifically the aquaculture ropes.