Nests and mangroves from waste streams
Want to make a floating garden without buying anything? You can! Just make sure you use non-toxic pallets and an organic Christmas tree without pesticides, as most Christmas trees are toxic.
The floating frame is made from second-hand softwood from the Amsterdam quay construction. Four tubs made from two half pallets are suspended in it. Truncated Christmas tree trunks provide structure under and inside these tubs. The Found Garden was the last to be completed, using leftover fibre cloth and substrate. Marsh plants float on cork cylinders (from the drill holes).
A number of plants were adopted after the autumn inspection: the rhizomes of reeds and cattails lie along the side after clearing a ditch and would otherwise die. And who knows, the resulting pools may be discovered as microhabitats by reptiles and amphibians. There are plenty of openings and climbing opportunities to get in.
Choose pallets with solid wooden blocks and first check for a month whether the buoyancy is okay, as the types of (softwood) timber used vary. Also pay attention to the chemicals used. Only choose pallets with the IPPC logo and check whether they are toxic: the treatment is indicated at the bottom right of the logo. If it says SF or MB, do not use them in water, because then they contain sulphuryl fluoride or methyl bromide.
Pallets are literally the carriers of our consumption and trade. Although approximately 95% of pallets are recycled, the pallet industry is growing by more than 5% annually and thus contributes to the global consumption of wood and the disappearance of 30 football fields of forest per minute.
