The Plastic Bank works towards cleaning our shorelines with a purpose

By Shaun Frankson – ChangeMaker, Co-Founder & Chief Dot Connector, The Plastic Bank
Year after year plastic makes up much of the waste found during the annual Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup.
Humans have created over 4 trillion pounds of plastic, roughly equivalent to 15,380 CN Towers. Plastic is so common in our day-to-day lives that we often fail to notice it in spite of the negative impact it can have on our environment. In our oceans, for example it’s often mistaken for food by marine life, which can have deadly consequences.
But where most people see an abundance of waste, we saw an abundance of opportunity. David Katz, founder of The Plastic Bank, was inspired by his vision, that if we can find a way to meaningfully repurpose mixed plastic we can make it too valuable to throw into our oceans or let sit on a beach.

In July 2013, we introduced The Plastic Bank to the world and quickly witnessed an overwhelming amount of support. We attracted over 25,000 Facebook “likes” in our first couple of weeks.
Our first crowd funding raised over $20,000 and we are thrilled with the results. Thousands of people shared our passion on social media and many gave contributions ranging from $1 to $500 to support our vision of tackling environmental and social problems with innovative solutions.
It’s also possible to see this enthusiasm and support for conservation in Canada and around the world with the huge number of people participating in cleanups.
For us, the number of participants in shoreline cleanups proves that people around the world care and want to take action against ocean bound plastic. We’ve taken this a step further, with The Plastic Bank. Our social mission is to provide hope for both the planet and the world’s poor.
We are establishing plastic re-purposing centres where people living in poverty can exchange waste plastic they have “harvested” in exchange for household items, parts, and even 3D printed goods for their businesses or homes. 3D printing allows the entrepreneurial minded to utilize single item manufacturing and innovative problem solving by sourcing 3D printable solutions. Our first centre is opening in Lima, Peru, in early 2014.
We call it “Social Plastic” – supporting the harvesting of waste plastic to improve the life of a disadvantaged person. It is the “2.0” of plastics recycling – re-purposing plastic into useful products, but with a difference. Harvesting waste plastic in this way reduces poverty and empowers people by increasing their independence and fostering entrepreneurialism.
We are even seeing the good in companies that have inquired about purchasing our “Social Plastic” as feedstock to increase the sustainability of their manufacturing.
We are so grateful for the support of WWF-Canada and look forward to making common cause as we create innovative solutions to social and environmental challenges.
Visit plasticbank.org to find out more about the work we’re doing