Yep, I’m literally selling trash. (At least I’m honest enough to admit it)
I’m sure you have questions, many do.
I think I have answered them all during the many years since I started selling this product.
Keep surfing to find the answers to the most frequently asked questions. Maybe yours will be answered too. If not, feel free to get in touch.

The items of ocean trash jewelry you find in the SurfArt store are truly gems from the ocean.  They are however manmade gems and therefor do not belong in the ocean. Fish have no need of such gems, so let’s take them back.
I have been collecting ocean trash for years now, during walks on the beach and during surf sessions. Unfortunately it can be done all over the planet. If there is a beach, there is trash to find.
I was just trying to do my bit for a cleaner planet. Around 8 to 12 million tons of trash washes up on beaches every year. In an attempt to not only reclaim but also reuse, I created Ocean Trash jewelry. Customized to start a second life.

For Mother Nature, with all my heart.

90% of all the world’s seabirds are estimated to have plastic in their stomach. As if this isn’t shocking enough, this could reach 99% if we don’t take action now!
Let alone what is does to other marine life. And what about the tons of trash that wash ashore every day? What about fish eating that trash? And what about us eating that fish?

By buying and wearing Ocean Trash bracelets you are not only making it possible to reclaim items from the ocean that do not belong there, you are also choosing reuse over newly made (and drawing even more resources from Mother Nature).

Of course Ocean Trash does not solve the source of the problem. Ideally we only make things that are from the start reusable, the cradle-to-cradle concept.
But in the mean time we are still left with the things that have already been made and are literally still floating around on our planet.
Bojan is working hard on tackling the problem on a worldwide scale. Me, I’m just playing the small part I can play.

Ocean Trash is for the planet. Ocean Trash is for Mother Nature. Ocean Trash is for all marine life.

Oh, you meant people?
Yes Ocean Trash is for people too.
Which people?
All people!
You may identify as a surfer, you may not. You may identify as an activist for nature, you may not. Ocean Trash is for you if you want it to be.

As their wrists are generally somewhat smaller, Ocean Trash for kids is not yet fully functional. But that’s definitely in the pipeline.

My mission is to turn Ocean Trash Bracelets into limited edition jewelry.
The ultimate dream would be that I won’t be able to make any more bracelets because there simply aren’t any fishing nets or shipping ropes to be found in the ocean or washed up on beaches.
Ocean Trash bracelets will never be made from newly made ropes or nets.

In some ways I probably am.
But I prefer to think of myself as an artist with a vision.

From the moment I started selling Ocean Trash there have not only been questions, but many opinions too. And they range from ‘awesome’ to let’s say ‘not so awesome’.

The first category, I love that they get what I’m trying to do.

The second category, they definitely push me do to better. I have actually encountered people who became quite angry that I dared sell trash. And that if I had the guts to do that, then I should go ahead and at least save the planet.
And I wish I could. But even though I might not be able to, I will give it a try and at the very least, do my bit.

So I started selling my Ocean Trash bracelets. And the first one I sold made me realize the potential. I figured if I could get these people on board, there must be more that are interested. And if more and more people hear of it and become interested, we could actually, all together, chance the tide. Maybe you could help too. Could you? Are you willing to pick up trash every once in a while? Would you buy a bracelet, or maybe even two?

It’s made from trash, so why pay for it right?

You are right, I found these perfectly readymade bracelets just lying on the beach, took them with me and here I am selling them.
Or maybe there is just a bit more effort involved…

Firstly I clean up the beach with love, taking with me everything I can carry that doesn’t belong there.
I bring it with me and start the sorting process. Unfortunately not everything can be reused.
The reusable items are then unraveled, cleaned and dried. All before I can even start on forming them into bracelets, creating unique and fun items that hopefully people will enjoy.
It would be great if my tools and clasps could be found on the beach, but so far I haven’t been so lucky as to find some.
And it turns out that in the Netherlands, even trash is liable for taxes.

And last but definitely not least, a % of each bracelet goes to Surfrider Foundation Holland Coast.

So in my humble opinion I would argue: You are buying so much more than trash.

Thank you for reading. Thank you for supporting. Thank you for everything!

Mahalo,            
               Marieke