Guilty about your child’s plastic beach toys? A Kailua woman has a solution

HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - In her Kailua home, Kate Reimann constructs beach toys she designed and made from plant-based products.

Her toys won’t contribute to plastic pollution because they disintegrate over time.

"Compostable plastics, like the kind that we're using in our beach toys, those will completely disappear leaving no toxic residue behind," she said.

Reimann volunteers with Surfrider Foundation and helps in beach cleanups with Sustainable Coastlines. She’s a married mother of two young children and an avid beachgoer.

She got the idea one day when a wave washed away her kids toys.

"I looked up and down and saw plastic everywhere in all of our products. And I thought I've got to come up with a way to make this better," she said.

Reimann’s a writer and owns a company called Rogue Wave.

Her toy set includes a bucket, sifter and shovel. She also makes molds that are fashioned after protected species. The handle is made from hemp.

"It'll last as long as a conventional plastic toy," she said.

Making the sets takes a long time because Reimann’s using a 3D printer. One bucket takes 22 hours to complete. She started a Kickstarter campaign to raise $400,000 so she can move into mass production.

"With this business I'm trying to just encourage a new way of looking at things and utilizing a different kind of material," she said.

Reimann’s Rogue Wave line also includes hats, t-shirts and tote bags made from earth-friendly materials.

"We have a Rogue Wave line of material so anybody who wants to make a better product using better material can purchase a Rogue Wave line from me and they can make whatever they need," she said.

To learn more about her products and the Kickstarter campaign, click here.

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