Plastic Bank Indonesia stops 40 million kilograms of plastic from polluting the ocean

BALI, Indonesia, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Plastic Bank Indonesia celebrates its collection communities, branch owners, partners and employees for stopping 40 million kilograms of plastic from entering the ocean. This amount is equivalent to 2 billion single-use 500ml PET bottles. Collected plastic is given a new life through recycling and re-integration into products and packaging.

Since 2019, Plastic Bank Indonesia gathers Ocean Stewards to stop ocean plastic and alleviate poverty by using plastic waste as currency. The social enterprise enables ethical plastic collection in communities within 50 kilometers of coastlines and waterways. Collection community members exchange plastic waste at collection branches for cash and life-improving benefits, including health, work and life insurance, digital connectivity, social and fintech services. Exchanges are recorded through the PlasticBank® app, powered by Alchemy™, our blockchain-secured platform that enables traceable collection, secures income, and verifies reporting. Collected material is processed into Social Plastic® feedstock for reuse in products and packaging.

"Indonesia is one of the world's top ocean plastic polluters with 3.7 million informal waste workers living in poverty. The 2 billion bottle collection milestone is an evidence of our commitment to support the government's target of reducing ocean plastic by 75% by 2025. However, we still have a long way to go in turning off the tap of plastic pollution," said Frederick Ramadhani Saman, the Country Manager of Plastic Bank Indonesia. "We invite everyone to socialize recycling for a world without ocean plastic, starting with mindfulness of our consumption habits."

Plastic Bank's global and local partners, including SC Johnson, Plastic Reborn with the Coca-Cola Foundation Indonesia & Ancora Foundation, HelloFresh, Natreve, ScanCom International, TWE Group, Advansa, CooperVision, Green Chef, ESTA Corporations, and Bank Aladin Syariah, have helped enable plastic collection and empowered recycling communities in Indonesia.

About Plastic Bank
Plastic Bank empowers Ocean Stewards to stop ocean plastic. Our ethical collection communities exchange plastic for life-improving benefits. Exchanges are secured through a blockchain platform that enables traceable collection, secures income, and verifies reporting. The collected material is processed into Social Plastic feedstock for reuse in products and packaging.

PlasticBank^®, Social Plastic^®, and Alchemy™ are trademarks of The Plastic Bank Recycling Corporation.

Begin Social Recycling at plasticbank.com.