Biodegradable, edible yokes can help save our ocean wildlife.
Florida-based microbrewery, Saltwater Brewery is using an edible and biodegradable six-pack holder for its beer. New yokes have been introduced to the brewery range over the past year, in an active bid to cut down the amount of plastic in the ocean and save marine wildlife.
Made up of leftover brewing byproducts, like barley and wheat remnants, the rings will safely disintegrate. A spokesperson for the company says, “In a waste disposal site it will degrade in days. If left out in open land or a water system, it will degrade completely in a matter of weeks”
According to international organisation Greenpeace, around 100 million tonnes of plastic are produced each year. About 10 million tonnes of this ends up in the sea and is able to be ingested by marine life. In fact, in the North Pacific an area the size of Turkey is just floating rubbish which is often eaten by marine wildlife.
Although we don’t want marine animals to be eating rubbish, we’re safely assured that Saltwater Brewery’s beer rings won’t harm turtles etc if they are ingested.