From Ocean Waste to Everyday Use: Local Woman Gives Plastic Bottles New Life

SALEM, Mass. — From Boston to Salem, many municipalities across the state have banned plastic bags in an effort to cut down on the amount that ends up in our waterways.

In fact, 33 billion pounds of plastic enters our oceans annually. A local woman created a product we all use—using recycled plastic—to reduce that staggering amount.

Walking along Carson Beach, Deirdre Bird always noticed the plastic cups and bottles laying around. It wasn’t until her umbrella flipped inside out and snapped when she got an idea.

“Can we start making these out of better materials?” said Deirdre Bird, Founder and CEO of Dri Umbrellas. “Can we address this crisis? And it turns out you can, if you’re persistent enough.”

The crisis—the staggering amount of plastic entering our oceans—33 billion pounds a year, or about two full garbage trucks every minute.

“It just seems like a problem that no one was doing anything about,” said Bird.

Despite having no background in business and manufacturing, Bird came up with an umbrella made out of recycled plastic. Each Dri umbrella uses eight plastic bottles that were diverted from the ocean, primarily from coastal communities in Thailand. That’s where Bird says an unintended benefit of her company resulted in employing women to recover and repurpose the material.

“They gather the plastic, they bring it to recycling centers where eventually it’s taken from the bottle form, shaved down to plastic flakes, turned into polyester yarn, hand cut and hand sewn on top of our umbrella frames,” said Bird.

Combined with stainless steel and bamboo, they come with a lifetime guarantee, so they too won’t end up in landfills.

So far, Dri Umbrellas has diverted 32,000 plastic bottles from entering the ocean. And Bird believes it’s just the beginning.

“I know that it’s worthwhile and worth doing because of that, and because so few other organizations are really taking the time to address something that truly impacts all of us,” said Bird.

From the environmental to health concerns, Bird hopes people will make small changes that, collectively, can have a big impact.

“It doesn’t have to be some huge overhaul to their lives,” said Bird. “They just start slowly incorporating sustainable products and actions into their lives. We can all make a difference in it.”

One percent of Dri Umbrellas’ profits every year goes back to the ocean conservation nonprofit. Bird hopes to expand her product line as her business continues to grow.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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