Photo by Kris Krüg under Creative License

Some people looked at last year’s oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and thought about what a terrible and senseless tragedy it was, the effects of which America will be dealing with for years to come. And some people thought “I could make some cars out of that.”

Last December, GreenBiz.com reported that General Motors planned on collecting 100 miles worth of oil-soaked booms off the coasts of Alabama and Louisiana and recycling them into 100,000 pounds of plastic resin. The plastic would then be used to make air-deflecting baffles in the Chevy Volt. Six months later, the plan has exceeded expectations. In a recent follow-up post, GreenBiz.com reported that GM collected over twice that amount, turning 227 miles of booms into 212,000 pounds of plastic resin. That’s more than they needed for the Volt’s baffles, so GM is currently looking for ways to use the remaining plastic resin.

Turning a recognizable symbol of the worst oil spill in American history into parts for electric cars may sound like nothing more than a bid for positive PR, but creative recycling is how GM rolls these days. Over half of their plants are “landfill-free,” in which at least 97 per cent of the waste the plants generate is turned into new car parts (the remaining three per cent is incinerated to generate energy). They’ve already figured out how to use cardboard inside the roofs of the Buick Lacrosse and how to turn plastic caps into radiator shrouds for the Chevy Silverado, so it’s only a matter of time before somebody figures out how to turn the remaining booms into cup holders for the new Camaro or something.

Dedicated AltTransport readers already know that the Volt will soon be made with sunshine. Fold in GM’s innovative recycling programs and the Volt is fast becoming a model for how both motorists and manufacturers can reduce their carbon footprint.