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
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.
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Our global impact
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
Progressive people and businesses join the global bottle deposit program to:
- Recover plastic waste from the environment
- Support communities with meaningful income
- Take responsibility for their plastic footprint
Collection members gather plastic from the environment and exchange it for:
- Income to support their families
- Access to education, health care, and other social benefits
Plastic Bank’s platform tracks every collection and provides:
- Certificates and dashboards to showcase verified impact
- Real stories from the communities being supported
- Tools to help individuals and businesses share their contribution
Recovered plastic is transformed into Social Plastic®, helping to:
- Replace virgin plastic in products and packaging
- Reduce the need for new plastic production
- Build a circular economy that values both people and the planet
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
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.
Join the global bottle deposit program and start with:
Recover your first
50 bottles for free
- 50 bottles recovered from Bali, Indonesia
- Certificate of proof in your name
- Additional free resources in account
Become a program member:
Make an impact
every month
- Live impact tracking and self-updating certificate
- Collector stories from the locations you’ve funded
- Access to all premium impact account features