Turning Plastic Trash into Cash
Can βsocial plasticβ keep the oceans clean and fight poverty too?
Picking up money - thatβs what Haitianβs nicknamed a movement seeking to solve Haitiβs plastic waste problem and reduce poverty at the same time. It was started by a man who saw a glimmer of hope in the devastation wrought by the 2010 earthquake: plastic bottles were clogging the beaches and filling the oceans with rubbish. But what if you could clear up the trash, give Haitians employment, and reduce the reliance on βvirginβ plastic, all at the same time? Itβs a bold idea that aims to solve two of the Worldβs big problems β poverty and plastic in the ocean. And it all hinges on attaching social value to recycled plastic. So why arenβt more companies doing it?
Presenter: Sahar Zand
Reporter: Gemma Newby
(Image: Plastic rubbish on beach in Haiti, Credit: ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ)
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People Fixing the World
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