It wasn't all bad

These six-pack rings are actually good for marine life

A troubling number of plastic six-pack rings wind up in the ocean, where they can seriously injure or even kill marine life, but a collaboration between a Florida craft brewery and a startup is changing the game.

Even when people cut the rings up before disposing of them, it doesn't make them safe — a sea turtle might not get tangled up in the plastic, but sea creatures will still eat it. After years of research, Saltwater Brewery of Delray Beach and startup E6PR have teamed up to offer the E6PR (Eco Six Pack Ring), a biodegradable six-pack ring made of barley and wheat that is safe for marine life to eat.

E6PR hopes other breweries will start using the rings, and as more and more companies come on board, the product will become cheaper. The rings are showing up in some stores in south Florida, The Times-Picayune reports, and E6PR is testing the rings with a few other craft breweries. Catherine Garcia