Environmentalists and wildlife enthusiasts rejoice! Actually, anyone living on Earth should rejoice. This affects all of us in one way or another. Saltwater Brewery, a small brewery in Delray Beach, Florida has taken initiative and begun production of edible six pack rings that are safer for the environment. These biodegradable rings will be made during the brewing process from beer by-products, such as barley and wheat, making the six pack rings edible for humans and animals alike.
We all remember hearing about the importance of cutting plastic rings to prevent entanglement of animals, but the plastic still negatively affects marine life in other ways. A new study shows that eating large amounts of plastic changes the behavior of fish, that is, if it doesn’t kill them by blocking their intestines first. They get slowed down, have lower hatching rates, and are less likely to flee predators – making them more likely to be eaten by fish, which we then eat.
Switching from plastic to biodegradable beer byproduct rings will reduce the amount of garbage in landfills and actually serve as a food source for animals, rather than littering their bodies with plastics. Win-win.
If bigger beer companies follow suit with these edible six pack rings, we can hope to see a real change in the levels of yearly plastic pollution. The only downside to this switch over from plastic is that farmers who feed their livestock with donated byproducts to fatten them up will likely no longer have that source as an option. However, the livestock could then end up being grass-fed instead, which is their preferred diet anyway. In turn this would lead to a happier and healthier life for the cows, and better quality of meat too.
Thank you, Saltwater Brewery! Hopefully the creation of these edible six pack rings has inspired others around the world to start doing the same and not only think about how to help reduce pollution, but also to take action.
Watch the video here!
