Mercure Saga Karatsu Resort hosts upcycling workshops

The Mercure Saga Karatsu Resort in Karatsu, Saga Prefecture, is hosting upcycling workshops in collaboration with the NPO Karatsu Farm & Food. The initiative allows hotel guests to participate in a circular economy process by transforming discarded beverage bottle caps collected from hotel vending machines into new products.

Using injection molding machines based on the Dutch open-source project ‘Precious Plastic’, participants can create custom coasters featuring the hotel logo or recycled plastic bead bracelets. A recent workshop saw 105 participants, bringing the total number of participants since the summer to 268.

The program aims to promote sustainable tourism by educating guests on marine plastic issues while providing a hands-on experience. In addition to workshops, the hotel has begun selling ‘The Whale’ keychains, which are made from 100% recycled plastic bottle caps.