About Plastic Bank

Plastic Bank is a social fintech with a global bottle deposit program that helps end poverty and stops plastic pollution.

Gathering for prosperity

When put in action, Plastic Bank’s mission:

Regenerates the environment by gathering plastic

Helps communities pave their paths out of poverty by exchanging it for money

Empowers businesses to create impact and grow with the purpose economy

Two community members from Plastic Bank Indonesia gather plastic bottles on Kedonganan Beach. They are smiling and holding up the collected plastic, showcasing their efforts to clean the beach and contribute to reducing plastic pollution.

Our story

The story of Plastic Bank began on May 9, 2013, when our Founder and CEO, David Katz, envisioned a world where discarded plastic could drive positive change.

David understood that most plastic waste leaking into our environment comes from areas of poverty. To solve pollution, he had to look upstream and help end poverty. He started by launching the first Plastic Bank branch in Haiti. What began as a bold idea is now a reality that empowers underserved communities across Indonesia, the Philippines, Brazil, Egypt, Thailand, and Cameroon to transform plastic waste into currency, providing income and social benefits.

“I think the real gift of that day was the realization that I didn’t need to create Plastic Bank. I needed to become the person who could. It was really a spiritual day of awakening for me. There was a still, quiet voice, unattached to outcome and meaning. It was a space that said: You can become the person who makes a change in the world.”
– David Katz, on the moment he conceived Plastic Bank.

Read the full story

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50 bottles collected from our communities
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Our global impact

our community of

57,683 members

working in

442 communities

gathered the equivalent of

8,043,505,391 bottles

total plastic waste collected

160,870,108 kg

Learn more

We’re solving poverty and plastic pollution with one transformative idea: plastic as money.

Learn our origins from our founder David Katz at the TED event in 2018

How Plastic Bank works

A smiling man stands proudly on a sand beach with a sack marked 'Plastic Bank Indonesia'. Behind him, the beach stretches out with natural debris and a rugged cliff, indicating the ongoing efforts to keep this unique environment clean.

Progressive people and businesses purchase memberships to:

fund plastic collection
help clean the environment
support communities

Collection community members gather and exchange plastic for:

increased income
zero-interest loans
education
social benefits

Impact is traceable:

Collections and exchanges are verified through our proprietary blockchain-secured platform
Memberships get access to authentic stories from collection communities

Funding collection helps:

provide raw material for creating recycled plastic feedstock
substitute virgin with recycled plastic
offset plastic consumption
create a circular economy for plastic

Why are you called
Plastic Bank?

We reveal the true economic value of plastic, making it too valuable to be left in the environment. In doing so, we’ve created a system for plastic exchange similar to any other currency exchange. Our PlasticBank® app uses fintech and blockchain technology to securely execute plastic transactions. The app’s digital wallet is often the first savings account that our members own. For those reasons, we call ourselves Plastic Bank.

Is Plastic Bank a
non-profit?

We are a for-profit social fintech. We re-invest the majority of our profits into our collection benefits, development and maintenance of recycling infrastructure, and technology development for material traceability for a greater social, environmental, and economic impact.

Leading our mission

David Katz

Founder & Chief
Executive Officer

David is a steward of the earth and a champion for the poor. Recognized as one of the world’s most compassionate entrepreneurs, David has received numerous awards, including the United Nations Lighthouse Award and the Ernst & Young Lifetime Achievement Award. His groundbreaking work has gained widespread media attention, featuring in major outlets like BBC, CNN, and Forbes, and he has made appearances on TED.com and various documentaries and reality shows.

Shaun Frankson

Co-Founder & Chief
Technology Officer

Shaun is a digital strategist and proudly empowers others to create a fulfilling life of purpose. He designed Plastic Bank’s blockchain-secured fintech platform, offering end-to-end supply chain traceability, universal income, financial inclusion, and life-enhancing advantages for the world’s poor. He earned recognition as an Ashoka Emerging Innovator and an IBM Champion. Additionally, alongside David Katz, he was honoured with the Sustainia Community Award at COP21 and the United Nations Momentum for Change Award at COP23. Shaun is a social good spokesman and performed a 2017 TEDx Talk on saving the planet through responsible consumerism. He has appeared in the award-winning documentary A Plastic Ocean, the reality TV show Dragons’ Den, numerous news interviews, and even seen on a Las Vegas billboard.

Gidget Velez

Chief Supply and
Countries Officer

Gidget is a seasoned Business Development Expert. Her experience spanning over three decades across international markets has given her a unique perspective on diverse industries and cultures. She has held C-level roles in companies such as Coca-Cola, Jim Beam, Publicis Groupe, and more, covering diverse markets such as the Philippines, Southeast Asia, Russia, and Micronesia. She is also a leadership mentor for international NGOs. As Chief Supply and Countries Officer, Gidget leads our supply chain operations and country teams, empowering key stakeholders to magnify the needed impact to end poverty and stop plastic pollution.

Roman Hingorani

Chief Financial Officer

Roman Hingorani is a Strategic CFO with extensive experience across industries such as Fortune 100 firms, private equity, and SaaS platforms. He combines deep accounting expertise (GAAP, IFRS) with solid FP&A, M&A, IPO preparation, and compliance skills. A global business leader with P&L oversight, Roman aligns financial strategies with business objectives to drive growth and transformation. He is known for managing board engagements and regulatory interactions, creating high-performance teams, and leading organizations from small teams to global operations. As CFO at Plastic Bank, he uses his financial leadership to stop plastic pollution while improving the lives of collection communities in vulnerable areas, driving both environmental impact and social change by empowering local economies.