Aomori says they’ll sell snow shovels shaped by sustainable seashell-scrap substance Shelltec

Read that five times fast.

Certain parts of Japan, especially along the Northwestern coast, can get extremely heavy snowfalls in the winter and this year has been even more snowy than usual. Aomori Prefecture on the northern tip of Honshu Island alone experienced a whopping 139 centimeters (4.6 feet) of snow last January, three times the average amount and enough to be considered a natural disaster.

With record amounts of snow comes record amounts of shoveling, which is probably the most arduous of household chores. So, to make it as bearable as possible, it’s important to have a good shovel and one such shovel may soon arrive in the form of Hotascoop.

Hotascoop is made from a new type of material called Shelltec, a composite material that combines recycled plastic and concrete with the calcium carbonate of discarded seashells. Some 200,000 tonnes of leftover scallop shells are generated in Japan each year and most of it simply goes to waste, but Shelltec harnesses its strength and flexibility while reducing the environmental burden of producing new plastic.

The name “Hotascoop” is a combination of the Japanese word “hotate” which means “scallop” and “scoop” which is pretty self-explanatory. This means that if they hope to sell Hotascoop overseas, someone there should really get on trademarking “Scalloop” as a potential brand name.

▼ “Snow got you down? Scalloop it!”

However, at the moment Hotascoop is only a concept that was developed during the Aomori Open Innovation Program 2024, which looked at ways to tackle the problem of shell waste in the prefecture and also generate businesses that can help revitalize the relatively rural area.

The same program also gave birth to Hotapark, a concept playground made with Shelltec for children to enjoy in an environmentally friendly way that harmonizes natural and urban aesthetics.

Although still in the concept phase, test development for Hotascoop is planned and, if successful, will lead to commercialization. Meanwhile, work is also progressing to build Hotapark in Aomori City in an effort to bolster tourism there.

Considering the amount of shellfish eaten in Japan, it would be nice if all those shells could be put to some good use. Granted, they are technically natural, but just dumping them still doesn’t seem right and there must be some other way to use them besides mermaid bras.

Source, images: PR Times
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