“Even if the ocean cleanup project, beach plastic recycling programs or any well-meaning ocean plastic company were 100% successful, it would still be too little, too late”.

– David Katz

Instead of focusing on ocean plastic cleanups, efforts should be redirected to the source of the plastic pollution; which tends to originate from poorer countries. As such a solution created is Plastic Bank where locals living in these poorer nations can purchase items & services (school tuition, medical insurance, wifi, cooking stove) using plastic garbage generated income.

The company then sell the collected plastic to big companies such as Marks and Spencer who have commissioned the use of social plastic in their products. In this way, it closes the loop and a circular economy is created.

This solution alleviates ocean plastic pollution and poverty at the same time.

However, the biggest takeaway of this video is their argument of social plastic being money. “We gamified recycling, we add fun and formality to an informal industry”. They perceive it as a globally recognizable and tradable currency that when used, alleviates poverty and clean the environment at the same time.

Though the project seems like it could potentially revamp the entire plastic recycling energy, a global change in mentality is needed to truly see social plastic as a real tradable currency.