This data is live from Alchemy

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Data last verified: Friday, 12/01/2023

1Ocean-bound plastic

Plastic Bank operates under the global standard defined by Jenna Jambeck. Ocean-bound plastic is defined as plastic that has not yet found its way into the ocean but is classified as "mismanaged waste". That is, plastic that is not being (formally) collected, is not likely to be collected, and is found within 50km of an ocean-bound waterway or coastal area.

2Community Members

Individuals within a recycling community who collect plastic and exchange it at a Plastic Bank collection branch for secure income and life-improving benefits.

3Equivalent Bottles Stopped

The amount of ocean-bound plastic collected and recycled in our recycling communities converted into bottles. Conversion rate is 50 bottles per kg (the average weight of a 500mL bottle is ~20g)

4Recycling Communities

Community of plastic collectors living within 50 kilometres of ocean-bound waterways involved in plastic collection and its exchange at Plastic Bank collection points.

Alchemy™

Alchemy is the blockchain platform that powers the Plastic Bank app. It enables fully traceable recycling processes, secures income for recycling community members and tailors impact reports for our stewards.

Your last-minute gift to kick off the 2022 holiday season with impact!

Written by Estee Lutte Engao on 1 December 2022

Minutes to read: 1 minute

Looking for a last minure holiday gift?

The season of giving is right around the corner – and so is the avalanche of consumer waste. It turns out the most wonderful time of the year is also the most wasteful. In the US alone, Americans produce 25 percent more trash from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve than in any other period1.

The Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA) estimates an average of 4.8 kilograms of plastic packaging waste is produced per household in the UK during the holiday season2. 

With consumerism at its highest around the holidays, it’s time to rethink your gifting plans and be more conscious about what your purchases do to our environment. 

It’s not about not gifting, but finding ways to give gifts that are kind to our planet, and even kinder to those in need.  

Holiday Impact Certificate

The best (and easiest) “add-on” to your gifting that creates impact is a Holiday Impact Certificate from Plastic Bank. 

Each certificate helps stop 4.8 kilograms of plastic – equivalent to 240 single-use 500ml PET plastic bottles – from entering the ocean. 

The collected plastic is exchanged for secure income and life-improving benefits by collection members in the Philippines, Indonesia, Brazil and Egypt.

Your loved ones can now gift knowing they will be stopping plastic waste from entering the ocean – with impact that helps alleviate poverty in collection communities on the front lines of stopping ocean plastic.

The best part? The Holiday Impact Certificate just costs US $4.80 for a family, and can be proudly displayed at home, at work, or on social as part of your festive décor.

You could also go Plastic Net-Zero, Plastic Positive, or Ocean Regenerative on your quest for #OceanStewardship with us! 

Alternatively, if you’re looking for more ways to bring sustainability to your lifestyle and holiday gifting, check out our Limited Edition Ocean Bottles. 

 

    1. “Frequently Asked Questions: Holiday Waste Prevention,” https://lbre.stanford.edu/pssistanford-recycling/frequently-asked-questions/frequently-asked-questions-holiday-waste-prevention
    2. The Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA)