End poverty,
stop plastic pollution
With your membership, you’ll empower collection communities to gather plastic materials and exchange it for money and access to social benefits.
It’s a win for you, a win for our communities, and a win for the planet.
Choose your impact
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80% of ocean plastic pollution comes from areas of poverty
Low-income communities lack recycling infrastructure and depend on cheap, single-use plastic items, leading to their over-consumption and contributing to global pollution.
Top ocean pollution points
Biggest ocean plastic contributors
Your help solves both
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
Traceable impact
You have the power to regenerate
our planet
A special message from our Founder, David Katz.
Our community
members
Claim your impact,
50 bottles on us
Every bottle provides increased income for a collection member.
By subscribing, you agree to the collection and use of your information as outlined in our Data Privacy Policy.
Browse the Plastic Bank shop
Every purchase you make helps our community members gather discarded plastic from the environment.
Calculate your plastic footprint
Discover the impact of your daily plastic use on the environment with our easy-to-use Footprint Calculator and take a step towards becoming a conscious consumer.
Empower your
business
Break the status quo, go beyond mundane sustainability initiatives, and regenerate. It’s a win-win for your business, your customers, the people, and the planet.
Frequently
asked
questions
Explain the work you do and what communities benefit.
Plastic Bank identifies vulnerable coastlines at the intersection of plastic pollution and poverty across the world that would benefit from plastic collection infrastructure. We then empower local entrepreneurs to establish collection branches in convenient locations and help gather collection communities together to collect discarded plastic from the environment. Community members exchange their collections at the branch for additional income and access to social, helping them to pave a path out of poverty and become changemakers by reducing plastic pollution. Collection members and collection branches are registered through the PlasticBank® app that records every transaction, enables traceable collection, secures income, and verifies reporting.
What is a plastic footprint, and how do I calculate it?
A plastic footprint is the amount of plastic an individual, business, workforce, or family uses and disposes in a specific period of time. The average plastic footprint of an individual is about 84 kilograms each year. Check out our Plastic Footprint Calculator to find out how much you use and dispose of, then take steps to reduce plastic pollution through small changes that can make a big impact.
Who are the collection community members?
An individual who is over 18 years of age, registered through the PlasticBank® app, and gathers discarded plastic from the environment is a collection community member. Some are full-time members who have worked in informal waste collection for many years, while others work with us on a part-time basis to supplement other sources of income. Regardless of how much or how often our collection community members collect plastic, age-verified collection members can exchange plastic for additional income and social benefits at their local collection branch.
What do you do with the plastic after it's collected?
The plastic collected through our collection communities is delivered to our processing partners for reprocessing into Social Plastic® feedstock and reintegrated into products and packaging by partner organizations and brands.
What are some ways to reduce plastic pollution?
To effectively tackle plastic pollution, strategies centered around plastic waste reduction are essential. This includes adopting reusable products to minimize the reliance on single-use plastics, supporting and engaging in recycling programs, and educating communities about the impact of plastic waste. Additionally, the concept of plastic offset plays a pivotal role. Similar to carbon offsetting, this involves actions that compensate for the plastic footprint created by individuals or organizations, such as funding plastic collection efforts or investing in technologies that contribute to reducing plastic waste in the environment. Together, these approaches can lead to a significant decrease in plastic pollution.