MOKA, a new line of sunglasses made with your plastic bottles

Making upcycling trendy

What happens to our plastic waste after being placed in the Molok containers used for selective waste collection in the smart city? It is collected by Green Ltd and sent to recyclers on the island and in the region, though not exclusively so. The idea of a collaboration between Moka Smart City and Helios Eyewear emerged to promote upcycling and encourage everyone to think in a more environmentally responsible way. The result is MOKA, a limited edition of sunglasses made from recycled PET plastic bottles.

The smart city’s Land & Business Development Manager, Olaf Boullé tells us about the approach underpinning this initiative, “We use the Moloks to make sure that various categories of waste are recycled. We want to do even better by reducing the environmental impact of the recycling process. In this case, the PET plastic bottles were sent to South Africa. To bring the recycling as close as possible to the Moloks, we came up with the idea of turning the plastic bottle waste into Helios sunglasses, which are manufactured right here in Moka, less than a kilometre away from the collection points.”

“Moka and Helios are part of the same ecological approach. We were already making PET plastic eyewear and Moka Smart City wanted to give a new life to the PET plastic waste collected through its Moloks. That’s how the idea for this collaboration designed for the people of Moka took shape!” says Plastinax Austral’s Brand Manager, Ingrid de Spéville. All the bottles collected from the Moloks are transformed into particles before being injected into the frames. “This initiative allows us to raise general awareness of the importance to avoid polluting, but also to show that it is possible to give waste a second life,” says Ingrid. In other words, she calls for more responsible consumption.

These nice hazel brown polarised sunglasses with a rounded frame have what it takes to become a great classic that you can wear around town or at the beach!

Moka’s Smart Initiatives: Genuine commitments to the city and its users

Waste recycling using Molok containers is much more than an isolated initiative; it is in line with an approach called “Smart Initiatives” to better respond to the changing daily needs of citizens.

This project promotes optimum resource use, “which also makes the circular economy tangible,” adds Olaf Boullé. Citizens who place their PET plastic bottle waste into the Moloks will come across them again in the Helios shop in the form of polarised sunglasses. Se we are delighted to introduce you to the MOKA, made by you and for you!”

The Moloks have been installed at various locations in the city in September 2020 and have made paper, cardboard, glass, plastic and aluminium waste sorting part of the daily habits of citizens. These voluntary drop-off points are located at Helvétia, Vivéa Business Park, Courchamps and Telfair.

Show your support by visiting the Helios shops across the island to discover the MOKA sunglasses. They are open from Monday to Friday between 9.30am and 6pm, and on Saturdays between 9.30am and 4pm.