The Plastic Bank is a global organisation. It is fighting to end plastic pollution and its devastating impact on the marine environment in particular. Central to its mission is the critical argument that the first thing that needs doing is to cut off the supply of plastic entering our oceans. The vast majority of plastic entering our oceans is in the developing world and one of the key drivers is poverty.
"Social plastic" is the name given to a project started by David Katz and Shaun Frankson, founders of The Plastic Bank. The project's goal is to monetize plastic - turning it into a source of income for impoverished people. Plastic litter that is collected can be exchanged for goods (not cash). Collectors can also access 3-D printers to make items that would help their communities, like a water filter.
The Plastic Bank plans to make money by selling the collected plastic to companies that see potential for making products created from plastic collected by the world's poor and prevented from entering the ocean.
