150,000 plastic bottles, 1 floating island: British carpenter built a home from recycled waste. It had internet and even a waterfall. But the place no longer exists

A floating island made from 150,000 plastic bottles, a three-storey home, solar power, internet and even a waterfall — it sounds like something out of a quirky travel fantasy, but British artist and former carpenter Richart Sowa actually built it. Called Joyxee Island, the unusual floating home was created off Mexico’s Isla Mujeres using discarded plastic bottles packed into nets. Sowa transformed the unlikely foundation into a fully functional living space, complete with swimming ponds and wave-powered appliances. The project drew curious visitors and global attention, but the remarkable bottle island eventually met an unfortunate fate, leaving behind a fascinating story of ambition, sustainability, and unconventional living.

The floating island built from waste

Sowa spent years gathering plastic bottles before turning them into the foundation of his ambitious home. More than 150,000 bottles were packed into nets and assembled into a buoyant platform, creating an artificial island that floated around 30 yards from the coast of Isla Mujeres in Mexico.

The bottles were not simply used as a novelty. They formed the structural base on which Sowa created a functioning home and living space. A three-storey house stood above the floating platform, where Sowa lived with his wife and their dog.


Despite its unconventional foundation, the island was designed to function much like a regular home. Solar panels supplied electricity, while a washing machine was powered by the movement of the waves. The property also featured two swimming ponds and a waterfall, while an internet connection allowed the unusual household to remain connected to the outside world.

An idea born from starting over

Joyxee Island was not Sowa’s first experiment with bottle-powered architecture. In 1998, he created an earlier floating project called Spiral Island in a lagoon near Puerto Aventuras. The idea emerged during a period of personal reflection following the end of his first marriage.

Sowa eventually decided that a life spent living on a floating island was not merely a fantasy but something he genuinely wanted to pursue. He lived on Spiral Island with his two dogs until Hurricane Emily destroyed the structure in 2005. The setback did not end his experiment. Sowa began collecting plastic bottles again and started constructing Joyxee Island in late 2007. By the end of 2008, his second floating creation was ready.

Nature became part of the experiment

The island also developed an unexpected relationship with its surrounding ecosystem. Mangroves grew around the floating structure, while their roots gradually helped bind the bottles together and shield them from ultraviolet exposure.

Marine life began appearing beneath the island as well, with aquatic organisms and coral contributing to a developing habitat around the floating structure. The mangroves benefited from the island’s ability to rise and fall with changing water levels, allowing their roots to remain at a relatively consistent depth.

A floating dream that eventually vanished

Joyxee Island attracted international attention precisely because it challenged conventional ideas about what a home could be. But its unconventional construction could not make it immune to the weather. Storms damaged the island over the years, and authorities eventually required Sowa to remove the structure. By January 2019, the island was confirmed to be gone.

What remains is the story of a man who transformed thousands of discarded plastic bottles into a home, proving how far an unconventional idea can go when imagination, persistence and a willingness to rethink ordinary materials come together.