Mercure Saga Karatsu Resort hosts upcycling workshop

The NPO Karatsu Farm & Food held a two-day upcycling workshop at the Mercure Saga Karatsu Resort in Karatsu, Saga Prefecture, on August 8 and 9, 2026. A total of 163 participants, including families and international travelers, took part in the event.

Participants engaged in making custom marble-patterned coasters and bead bracelets. The coasters were produced by melting down beverage caps collected from the hotel's vending machines and pressing them into molds engraved with the hotel logo. The program also included lectures on marine plastic pollution, specifically addressing the issue of plastic waste washing up on the coasts of the Genkai Sea.

This initiative is part of a broader effort to promote a circular economy. According to estimates using life cycle assessment coefficients from the student project Precious Plastic Waseda, recycling the approximately 9.2kg of collected caps could reduce CO2 emissions by about 20kg compared to incineration. The workshop series follows previous environmental training for hotel staff and exhibitions of upcycled works.