Companies like 4Ocean have been very successful in creating profitable businesses and lifestyle communities from marketing recycled products to consumers. That being said, many companies still have work to do in targeting the root cause of the problems they focus on in a scalable manner.
Over 300M Tonnes of plastic waste are made every year.
But how do we fix this at its root cause?
We Want to Solve Big Problems
But often,
We've looked into areas around consumer advocacy, creating more effective recycling, alternative waste management systems, and informal waste economies in developing countries to name a few.
We wanted to share our findings to inspire others to take action to produce the greatest impact possible in solving this problem.
We owe it to the contributors to our work:
Taylor Leigh Cannizzaro
CAO, Plastic Bank
Dr. Markus Flury
Professor, Washington State Univeristy
David Lefebvre
Director of Public Affairs, RecycleBC
Ina Tessnow-von Wysocki
Doctoral Candidate, University of Vienna
Jason Donofrio
External Relations Officer, The Ocean Foundation
Dr. Thava Palanisami
Senior Lecturer, University of Newcastle
Charles Rolsky
CSO, Plastic Oceans
Dr. Paritosh Deshpande
Associate Professor, Norwegian Science and Technology University
Harrison Wavell
School & Colleges Programme Manager, The Ellen MacArthur Foundation
Oksana Horodytska
Doctoral Candidate, University of Alicante
Dr. Travis Wagner
Professor, University of Southern Maine
Huiyi Zhang
Doctoral Candidate, University of the Highlands and Islands
Dr. Martin Medina
Waste Management Advisor in Kampala, Uganda
Dr. Eleni Iacovidou
Lecturer, Brunel University London
Joana Prata
Doctoral Candidate, University of Aveiro
Dr. Jessica Reichert
Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Giessen
Dr. Lise Magnier
Assistant Professor, Delft University of Technology
This is What Surprised Us About the Issue
These are some quick introductions to different topics we've learned about from digging through reports and getting in touch with researchers and entrepreneurs.
The Oil Market and Recycling
There's a surprising competition currently growing between the oil & gas market and the recycling industry.
Microplastics and Coral Health
We don't know all the impacts microplastics have, but what we're starting to find out doesn't look good for corals.
Unexpected Ways to Repurpose Plastic
We usually understand recycling up to the point where it gets sorted… but there's an entire world of trouble after that.
Chemical Recycling: It Still Needs Time
To get around barriers with mechanical recycling, we have technologies that turn plastics into chemicals. But are they ready?
We Summarised our Work With Infographics
Bioplastics Infographic
Chemistry of Plastics Infographic
Plastic Alternatives Infographic
Here are our Thoughts on Current Solutions
We wanted to highlight the good and the bad when it comes to current efforts to address plastic pollution. We hope to inspire more research and action on effective solutions to this problem!
The Ocean Cleanup and Cleanup Efforts
The Ocean Cleanup is one of the most effective out of several organisations working to remove existing plastic waste from the oceans. Their automated technology for this cause enables them to have a scalable solution to marine plastic pollution. Still, their work won't address the problem of plastic waste being generated in the long term.
Plastic Bank and Informal Waste
Plastic Bank is a company working to improve informal waste management in developing countries. They provide impoverished waste collectors with income and increase recycling rates in these countries. Yet, they still continue to face challenges from a lack of infrastructure in developing waste management industries.
Consumer Outreach Organisations
There are many organisations working to solve plastic pollution with consumers by raising awareness, organising volunteering, and supporting advocacy. They've achieved tangible results and have influenced other stakeholders, but they still face challenges in being scalable.
Plastics Research/Awareness Nonprofits
A few nonprofits focused on targeting plastic pollution are taking a new approach to solving the problem - analysing the source of plastics from their production in the first place. Their work on this issue is effective, but very few nonprofits follow this model.
Want to Learn More?
These are some of the best resources we found on plastic pollution as a whole.
You can also learn about our team's lessons and story here.
"Plastic Pollution" (Our World in Data, 2018)
This is one of the best overviews of the entire plastic pollution issue, with details on everything from microplastics' effects on health to the geographic distribution of plastic waste.
"Plastics and Sustainability" (American Chemistry Council, 2016)
This report analyses the environmental impacts of plastic production (categorised by different applications of plastic) and analyses potential strategies to prevent plastic usage.
"Stemming the Tide" (Ocean Conservancy, 2015)
Ocean Conservancy's report explores challenges with informal waste management in developing countries (like with open dumps and waste collectors) and recommends potential solutions.
"Rethinking the Future of Plastics" (The Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2016)
This report examines issues that come from plastics usage (especially for packaging) and explores potential solutions like reuse and compostable packaging.
We're a Team of Youth Hoping to Help
Feel free to get in touch with us! We love learning from new people!
Ayleen Farnood
19, excited by brain computer interfaces, virtual reality, and machine learning; studying Engineering Science at the University of Toronto.
Madhav Malhotra
19, training to be a developer + entrepreneur + consultant. Hoping to solve climate change. Also goes to school sometimes.
Special thanks to Zara Syed for contributing to our research!