Our community members
Collection community members exchange gathered plastic at registered Plastic Bank branches for additional income and access to social benefits, helping them to pave a path out of poverty.
Stories of Impact
55,224 active collection community members globally, each with a story to tell.
Haris, Indonesia
Haris S. has been a Plastic Bank collection member in Bali since April 2021. He lives in Bali, Indonesia with his wife and five children.
Previously, Haris and his wife
[more]
Mabrooka, Egypt
Mabrooka, an Egyptian mother of four, has been part of Plastic Bank since 2022. Every day, she collects plastic from various households, sorting it meticulously in a rented basement [more]
Rasamee, Thailand
Rasamee, aged 45, resides in Khlaeng, Rayong, approximately 15 km away from the seashore. She shares her home with two family members and does not have any children.
At the
[more]
Asis, Indonesia
Asis is a Plastic Bank member in Bali, Indonesia. He is originally from Probolinggo, but moved to Bali to find a better livelihood. Unfortunately, Asis suffered from a lung disease [more]
Magda & Romany, Egypt
Magda, a dedicated plastic collection member who joined Plastic Bank in 2022, works alongside her husband, Romany, to create a life defined by love, hard work, and shared dreams. Each [more]
Vanessa & Marcio, Brazil
Vanessa, along with her husband Márcio, exemplifies how individual actions can significantly impact local communities. Registered with Plastic Bank on September 13, 2021, Vanessa’s first recorded transaction was on October [more]
Umnuay, Thailand
Meet Umnuay, a resilient 62-year-old farmer from Thailand. Every day, he toils on his farms, yet his hard-earned income barely covers his basic needs.
Despite facing financial challenges, Umnuay embarks
[more]
Elizabeth, Philippines
Elizabeth is a Plastic Bank member from Baseco Compound, Port Area of Manila. She is a widow and works as a street sweeper in her community.
She shares how it
[more]
Bashay, Egypt
Bashay is a father and Plastic Bank collector in Cairo, Egypt. In the afternoons, Bashay collects discarded plastic that is bound for the Nile and seas in exchange for bonuses [more]
Eko, Indonesia
Eko is a 55-year-old Plastic Bank collection branch owner in Bali. He started his business as a small junkyard in 2010. Over twelve years, he successfully expanded his business into [more]
Vilma, Philippines
Vilma is a Plastic Bank collection member living in Baseco, the Port Area of Manila. One of the biggest problems they face is the enormous amount of garbage dumped on [more]
Sutha, Thailand
Sutha is a 38-year-old collection member in Rayong, Thailand. He used to work as a CSR Officer but resigned from his job. He realized there is plenty of plastic waste [more]
Juhari, Indonesia
Juhari is from Tabanan, Bali, Indonesia. He comes from East Java and now has been living in Bali for 20 years.
Every day, he collects plastic using a motorbike and
[more]
Carla Maria, Brazil
Carla Maria is a dedicated mother of five living in Duque de Caxias, Rio de Janeiro. Registered with Plastic Bank on March 31, 2021, she began her recycling journey on [more]
Frequently
asked
questions
Does Plastic Bank pay a salary to its collection community members?
Plastic Bank does not pay a salary to its members. They receive the local market rate for plastic by material type in cash from the buyer of the materials (collection branches). In addition to the standard market rate payment system, Plastic Bank uses a digital payment system to provide bonuses on eligible material collections above their market rate. The bonuses are paid directly to the members’ wallets in the PlasticBank® app through Plastic Bank tokens.
How does Plastic Bank find its collection community members?
Plastic Bank begins working in new territories with existing informal recycling communities wherever possible. We train and certify local collection communities (collection community members and collection branches alike) for compliance with our code of conduct and acquaint them with the PlasticBank® app usage requirements to enable traceability. We incentivize collection benefits for existing members and attract new participants.
We also establish Community Partnerships with local schools, places of worship, establishments, and institutions to set up accessible collection branches. We raise awareness about recycling and encourage proper waste segregation in households to reduce plastic pollution.
How can a person become a collection community member?
Collection community members must be 18+ years of age and registered in the PlasticBank® app. Any registered individual can sign into the PlasticBank® App to find the nearest local collection branch for exchanging discarded plastic.
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.
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.
Get involved with Plastic Bank
Professional Membership
Fund global plastic collection with your business and access tools to communicate the environmental and social impact it’s making.
Personal Membership
Empower collection communities to gather plastic materials and exchange it for money and access to social benefits.