ITATIBA, Brazil—It was around five years ago that Brazilian surfer Jairo Lumertz got the idea to join his two passions of surfing and protecting nature by creating surfboards made out of plastic bottles.
The 39-year-old surfer is now traveling from beach to beach with his girlfriend Carolina Scorsin promoting his invention to help children take up surfing and reduce waste at the same time.
Lumertz’s “eco surfboards,” which he first developed in 2007, consist of bottles supported by PVC tubes and glue. The bottles are treated with dry ice to make them stronger and more floatable. A standard board is made up of 41 bottles, and a stand up paddleboard is made using 73 bottles.
“A common surfboard in the store costs at least $2,000, but can reach $5,000. A board with plastic bottles is only $100,” explains Scorsin.
