<h2>Introducing Precycle’s E-Commerce Plugin!</h2>
<p>Precycle is proud to announce the release of our first tool: <a href="https://apps.shopify.com/precycle">our e-commerce app for plastic action</a> available on Shopify!</p>
<p>Our plugin unites brands and their customers on a global issue that is close to everyone’s conscience. Plastic waste mismanagement has led to an international environmental crisis that contaminates both natural habitats and urban communities. Our plugin actions plastic recycling and repurposing with just the click of a button! While making a purchase online, customers can now already consider the product's end of life, and contribute to its fair waste collection while checking out! All while simultaneously supporting infrastructure development in the plastic waste management sector to tackle waste of the past, present, and future! Our plug-in makes it easy for customers to consume responsibly.</p>
<p><img src="/assets/blog/shopify-app-introduction/inline-0.png" alt="There is no plan B" title="There is no plan B"></p>
<h2>The importance of having an eco-conscious value proposition in 2022</h2>
<p>Customers are increasingly aware of their environmental impact and have been shown to engage more positively with brands that have values in common. <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesnycouncil/2018/11/21/do-customers-really-care-about-your-environmental-impact/?sh=42033371240d">Studies show that around 90% of customers are more loyal to brands that support social and environmental issues.</a> Additionally, customers seem to have a more positive image of brands with ethical commitments. Millennials, in particular, are the most likely to engage strongly with these brands, especially when introduced via word of mouth through family and friends. And why wouldn’t they? Conversations around the climate crisis and sustainable living are becoming household topics. Our plug-in is a simple solution to demonstrate your brand's dedication to social and environmental causes.</p>
<p><img src="/assets/blog/shopify-app-introduction/inline-1.jpg" alt="There is no plan B" title="There is no plan B"></p>
<h2>Elevate customer experience with the Precycle plugin</h2>
<p>The customer interface is a simple banner built into your checkout page, where the customer can click, to add plastic compensation to their order. Adding this plastic compensation will add 1€ to their basket and compensate for 1 kg of plastic waste. Our plugin allows your customers to consider your product’s end-of-life right at the time that it is purchased!</p>
<p>The plastic compensation option at your brand’s checkout will be directed towards fair plastic waste collection and infrastructure development of plastic waste management sectors in the Global South. Your contribution will go directly to where it matters most, and take plastic action in developing countries negatively affected by the plastic crisis.</p>
<h2>How the Precycle Plugin Creates Triple Impact</h2>
<p>The Precycle model focuses on making a triple impact with every euro spent on compensation:</p>
<ul>
<li>The first and most obvious impact is the environmental impact of removing plastic waste from oceans, beaches, forests, and mismanaged landfills, from which plastic eventually finds its way into the environment.</li>
<li>The second impact is the social impact created by partnering with waste management companies that provide safe and fair employment for waste workers, who are regularly denied these basic considerations.</li>
<li>Precycle’s third impact is its economic impact. Our partners are looking to the future to formalize their local waste management sectors, increase worker safety, expand recycling capacities, and ensure that plastic waste is managed in a way that improves the environment for everyone. This, in turn, redirects money back into the recycling sector making it a profitable and self-sustaining industry.</li>
</ul>
<p><img src="/assets/blog/shopify-app-introduction/inline-2.jpg" alt="Green Tech" title="Green Tech"></p>
<h2>How Precycle Supports Your Brand’s Eco-Journey Beyond the Plugin</h2>
<p>If just making a positive environmental impact isn’t enough, the advantages of being an eco-conscious brand don’t stop there! Engagement with your customers allows them to feel empowered to make a difference and gives them a shared ideology with your brand, regarding the end-to-end utility of your products. Precycle will also provide you with data reports to help you share how your brand is plastic conscious with the world! Once your shop starts using the plugin, Precycle provides you with an impact report that allows you to share the impact that has been created by working with Precycle. The Precycle plugin is easy to set up and simple for your customers to use. The plugin can be added through the <a href="https://apps.shopify.com/precycle">Shopify App Store</a>, using our <a href="https://precycle.today/blog/shopify-app-instructions">step-by-step instructions</a>. After it is installed, it will appear as a banner to add plastic compensation on the checkout page of your Shopify store. There is also the option to have it appear as an add-on purchase after the checkout is complete. Either way, it’s a simple, single click for your customers.</p>
<p>Now that you’re all plugged into our new e-commerce tool, we hope you’ll continue to join us on our mission to fight the plastic crisis! Want to find out more? Our next blog post will tell you just how to install the Precycle plugin. We’ll see you there!</p>

Plugin Plastic Action to your checkout

<h3>Small steps to make 2022 a more plastic-conscious year</h3>
<p>While offsetting plastic is critical to managing the 5 billion tons of plastic currently circulating our oceans, jungles, and natural resources, reuse is at the top of the waste management hierarchy. Although the modern consumer assumes that we have an effective recycling infrastructure in place, in truth our waste management system is terribly broken.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="https://www.unep.org/interactive/beat-plastic-pollution/#:~:text=Only%209%25%20of%20all%20plastic,dumps%20or%20the%20natural%20environment.">Only a staggering 9% of all plastic that has ever been created, has been recycled.</a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>The rest has ended up in landfills or environmental sites. The remaining amount is often incinerated in attempts to create cheap energy, creating further carbon emissions in addition to those produced by the plastic degradation process. In fact, <a href="https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/20.500.12413/14490">a double-decker bus of plastic is dumped or burned every second</a>. While we aspire towards a more circular economy, we all have a responsibility to start moving our consumer habits towards a more zero-waste lifestyle.</p>
<p><img src="/assets/blog/reduce-plastic-consumption-inline-1.png" alt="picture of hands cupping a seedling"></p>
<h3>Goodbye to single-use plastics!</h3>
<p>One of the fastest ways to do this is by reducing our use of disposable or single-use products. When we calculate the long-term impact of single-use products, we discover that their ‘convenience’ is actually a burden and detriment to the communities receiving our waste on the other side of the globe. These taxing consumption habits are a ceaseless hazard to our entire global community and will profoundly affect the lives of future generations. In fact, the cumulative amount of these products over a lifetime is monumental. One plastic toothbrush quickly turns to 300 toothbrushes throughout the course of one person’s life. With plastic taking 400 years to degrade, our toothbrushes will still be here long after us!</p>
<blockquote>
<p>1 person = 300 toothbrushes.<br>
Your toothbrush might get to see your next two generations!</p>
</blockquote>
<p><img src="/assets/blog/reduce-plastic-consumption-inline-2.png" alt="close picture of wooden toothbrush with branch"></p>
<h3>Eco-friendly home alternatives to reduce plastic consumption</h3>
<p>Fortunately, there are many easy ways to switch to eco-friendly options that lower greenhouse emissions. The benefits of reusable products go beyond sustainability! They are both kinder to the planet and your wallet. Furthermore, if every purchase is a vote, zero-waste reusable products are votes towards social justice. There are many great sustainable brands in Europe that offer ethical plastic alternatives and one-stop-shop solutions that provide conscious yet convenient reusable products.</p>
<h4>Here are some essential and sustainable product swaps which you can purchase now!</h4>
<p><img src="/assets/blog/reduce-plastic-consumption-inline-4.png" alt="bamboo toothbrush, stainless straw , and reusable razor in glass cup"></p>
<h3>1. Smile brightly with bamboo brushes!</h3>
<p>The average person uses 4 toothbrushes per year which accumulates to 300 toothbrushes over one person’s life! Plastic toothbrushes make up 50 million tons of plastic waste annually! While synthetic plastic toothbrushes are made up of nylon and polypropylene plastic, bamboo brushes are plant-based and 100% biodegradable. Unlike synthetic plastic sourced from non-renewable fossil fuels, bamboo is an incredibly fast-growing plant, which uses little water and can be harvested within a few years of planting! Let’s make dental hygiene synonymous with planet hygiene! You can find great eco-brushes at <a href="https://thebamandboo.com/">Bam&#x26;Boo</a>, <a href="https://environmentaltoothbrush.com.au/">The Environmental Toothbrush</a>, and <a href="https://www.brushwithbamboo.com/">Brush with Bamboo</a>!</p>
<p><img src="/assets/blog/reduce-plastic-consumption-inline-3.png" alt="reusable water bottle on weathered board with 3 rocks and 3 cockleshells on driftwood"></p>
<h3>2. Hydrate with reusable bottles</h3>
<p>481.6 billion plastic bottles are used worldwide each year! This equates to 40 billion bottles per month and 1.3 billion per year! The annual mass production of plastic bottles uses over <a href="https://pacinst.org/publication/bottled-water-fact-sheet/">17 million barrels of oil</a> while releasing 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere! There are also financial benefits to opting for reusable bottles. <a href="https://www.beyondplastics.org/fact-sheets/plastic-water-bottles">Buying one reusable bottle saves 156 bottles purchased in one year.</a> A recent U.S. study demonstrated that the average person in the U.S. could save $1,236 every year if they ditched single-use throwaway plastic bottles. Choosing reusable water bottles is a great way to reduce both your carbon and plastic footprint.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>1 reusable bottle with save you $14,830 within 12 years!</strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Choosing reusable water bottles is a great way to reduce both your carbon and plastic footprint. You can find some great reusable bottles at <a href="https://www.kleankanteen.co.uk/">Klean Kanteen</a>, <a href="https://www.livelarq.com/">LARQ</a>, and <a href="https://www.swell.com/">S’well</a>.</p>
<p><img src="/assets/blog/reduce-plastic-consumption-inline-5.png" alt="seahorse holding q-tip with its tail"><em><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BY8iyqxHx4r/?taken-by=justinhofman">Instagram photo taken by Justin Hofman</a></em></p>
<h3><strong>3. Save seahorses from ocean debris by choosing reusable Q-tips!</strong></h3>
<p>Keep your daily rituals environmentally friendly by purchasing a reusable q-tip.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>One reusable q-tip saves 415 q-tips per year and can be used up to 1000 times!</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Q-tips are incredibly damaging to marine life and are a tremendous cause of ocean debris similar to straws. The microplastics of single-use plastics often end up in the digestive tracts of sea creatures, causing them to slowly die of starvation. It’s important to bear in mind that while plastic was only first produced in 1950, by 2050, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish! Ocean pollution is currently so overwhelming that instead of latching onto seaweed, seahorses have started latching onto q-tips! Do your part for the ocean today by purchasing a reusable q-tip! Some of our favorite reusable q-tips are: <a href="https://lastobject.com/pages/lastswab">Last Swab,</a> <a href="https://pandabaw.com/">PandaBaw,</a> <strong>and <a href="https://ecoslurps.com/products/reusable-cotton-buds">EcoSlurps</a>.</strong></p>
<p><img src="/assets/blog/reduce-plastic-consumption-inline-6.png" alt="hand holding razor over pink background, casting clear shadow"></p>
<h3><strong>4. Keep it classic with safety razors!</strong></h3>
<p>Safety razors are a great way to create zero-waste bathroom routines. Zero-waste razors are all-metal no plastic razors (usually made from stainless steel) with a handle and double-sided blade. Their stainless steel blades are both replaceable and recyclable. While being much gentler on pores than single-use razors, they are also much gentler on the planet.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The average person disposes between 40-50 plastic razors per year.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This amounts to roughly $111 spent on razors per year, with around 2 billion razors being thrown away in the U.S. annually. Reusable razors provide a vintage nuance to your bathroom while keeping it eco-friendly! They are a great classic gift option during the holiday season! Check out these awesome razors by <a href="https://leafshave.com/products/the-leaf-razor">Leaf</a>, <a href="https://heyhanni.com/collections/shop-home/products/razor?variant=39970886123573">hanni</a>, and <a href="https://keepwellkept.com/products/safety-razor-rose">well kept</a>!</p>
<p><img src="/assets/blog/reduce-plastic-consumption-inline-8.png" alt="vase of flowers with red and blue menstrual cups on a white table"></p>
<h3><strong>5. Say yes to menstrual cups. Period.</strong></h3>
<p>The average woman spends £5000 on period products over a lifetime! A menstrual cup is an economic and sustainable alternate option that has the potential to dramatically reduce global plastic pollution! Over the course of a lifetime, a single menstruator will use somewhere between 5,000 to 15,000 pads and tampons, most of which will end up in landfills or the ocean as plastic waste. Unfortunately, a majority of sanitary products contain 90% plastic.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Thanks to menstrual cups 2.8 billion fewer tampons and pads have ended up on beaches since 2002!</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Join the menstrual cup revolution and make your moon cycles ocean-friendly! Some of our favourite eco-friendly menstrual cup brands include <a href="https://saalt.com/products/saalt-soft">Saalt</a>, <a href="https://nixit.com/products/nixit-menstrual-cup">Nixit</a> and <a href="!https://www.mooncup.co.uk/">Mooncup</a></p>
<p>Now that we’ve inspired you with some easy eco swaps to reduce your plastic footprint, we’d love to hear your thoughts! What are your favorite eco swaps, and who are your favorite sustainable brands? We also hope to remind you that although plastic reduction is incredibly important, compensating for our own plastic footprints is an indispensable component of conquering the plastic crisis! Our B2C service is a <a href="https://www.precycle.today/individuals">subscription model</a> which allows you to reduce your plastic footprint with the click of a button. Follow us and subscribe to our newsletter for more tips on how to live a plastic-conscious life!</p>

5 Eco Swaps to Reduce Your Daily Plastic Footprint

<p>When strangers entered a room full of 250kg of plastic waste, they were met with shock and disappointment. This is the average volume of plastic waste generated by a German household. Precycle launched this initiative to raise awareness for the Plastic Action crowdfunding campaign, which lets individuals offset their plastic footprint and support plastic waste recovery in India. The campaign aims to remove and recycle low-value plastic waste while conducting a social inclusion program. Here we adopt a semi-formal recycling facility and convert it to a registered, well-equipped, and safe workspace. The campaign will also support the global development of fair plastic waste infrastructures in low-income nations, affected by the plastic crisis. This will be achieved through our digital platform and plastic credit system. Plastic credits are generated by our impact partners; recyclers in the Global South who recover and recycle plastic waste under fair work conditions. These credits are then used by brands and individuals in the Global North, who want to offset unavoidable plastic emissions.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.startnext.com/en/precycle-for-plastic-action">Plastic Action</a> will serve as a pilot for Precycle’s future recycling and sustainability projects. This model proves that there are green-tech strategies that can equip people to fight and change the outcome of the plastic crisis. We could empower hundreds of low-income communities negatively affected by the plastic crisis while cleaning up the planet!</p>
<p>Lastly, we hope that this campaign will showcase the power of individual action. It is individual action that has amassed 5 billion tons of plastic waste within the environment, and it will take united actions to find a solution! Precycle hopes to embody this solution by building a global plastic system that tackles the waste of the past, present, and future.</p>
<p>Precycle will use the power of united action to raise funds. 50% of which will go towards building the digital platform, and its unique blend of green-tech and grassroots movement. The funds will be used to sophisticate the digital tools which allow us to calculate, offset, and trace the plastic footprint of brands and individuals.</p>
<p>The other 50% will go to the clean-up campaign and social-inclusion program in partnership with <a href="https://saahaszerowaste.com"><strong>Saahas Zero Waste</strong></a>.</p>
<p><img src="/assets/blog/6-inline.jpg" alt="Vrinda at Sahaas Zero Waste" title="Vrinda at Sahaas Zero Waste"></p>
<p>Here’s what we plan to do with the funds we raise:</p>
<ol>
<li>Ethically recover and recycle low value plastic waste from the environment.</li>
<li>Create direct jobs for individuals from underprivileged background.</li>
<li>Adopt a semi-formal recycler in India and upgrade its facility to a registered, well-equipped and self sustainable business.</li>
</ol>
<p>Precycle aims to create triple impact through the campaign - social, economic, and environmental.</p>
<h3>Social</h3>
<p>By partnering up with recyclers in the Global South, we provide them with access to dignified employment and fair wages. This offers waste workers a better quality of life for themselves and their families. By making plastic waste management a lucrative and developed business, we incentivize other players to join the recycling and sustainability sector. This in turn increases the momentum and radius impact of global plastic action!</p>
<h3>Economic</h3>
<p>Our social inclusion program and adoption of a semi-formal recycler, allow the facility to build a self-sustaining business model. By bringing in necessary equipment and resources we will therefore make their operations more scalable. The Precycle plastic infrastructure also aims to create an economy for recycled plastic in the global market. By letting this sector scale and grow, we make plastic waste management a profitable and sustainable niche within the global economy.</p>
<h3>Environmental</h3>
<p>We clean up 160 metric tons of low-value plastic from an Indian community in need. This is crucial as there is no incentive to recover low-level plastic, which ends up in urban and natural sites flooded with mountains of plastic waste. Our initiative will also reduce CO2 emissions by 617 MT. Low-value plastic is one of the planet’s most persistent pollutants and takes hundreds of years to disintegrate. The process of its dissolution produces vast amounts of greenhouse gas emissions, while toxifying natural environments. Similarly, the alternate solution of its incineration is also an incredible atmospheric carbon burden!</p>
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>PLASTIC ACTION</th>
<th>IMPACT</th>
<th>CONTRIBUTION AMOUNT</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Plastic neutrality for a <a href="https://www.startnext.com/en/precycle-for-plastic-action#rid-376260">quarter year</a></td>
<td>Equivalent to the <strong>16.25kg</strong> of plastic an individual in Germany generates in the quarter of a year.</td>
<td>8.00€</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Plastic neutrality for a <a href="https://www.startnext.com/en/precycle-for-plastic-action#rid-376261">half-year</a></td>
<td>Equivalent to the <strong>32kg</strong> of plastic an individual in Germany generates in half a year.</td>
<td>16.00€</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Plastic neutrality for a <a href="https://www.startnext.com/en/precycle-for-plastic-action#rid-376262">full year</a></td>
<td>Equivalent to the <strong>65kg</strong> of plastic an individual in Germany generates in a full year.</td>
<td>32.00€</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Plastic neutrality for a <a href="https://www.startnext.com/en/precycle-for-plastic-action#rid-376263">full year + Airink X Precycle t-shirt</a></td>
<td>Equivalent to the <strong>65kg</strong> of plastic an individual in Germany generates in a full year. We collaborated with <a href="https://air-ink.com/">Airink</a> who upcycle carbon emissions to make carbon-negative materials. This t-shirt is representative of the fact that plastic action = climate action!</td>
<td>55.00€</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Bring back <a href="https://www.startnext.com/en/precycle-for-plastic-action#rid-376264">500kg of plastic waste</a></td>
<td>Low value plastic is often left behind in our waterbodies and landfills as there is a lack of monetary incentive for its collection and recycling. Help us recover <strong>500kg</strong> of low value plastic waste which otherwise would pollute our environment.</td>
<td>220.00€</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Bring back <a href="https://www.startnext.com/en/precycle-for-plastic-action#rid-376265">1000kg of plastic waste</a></td>
<td>Low value plastic is often left behind in our waterbodies and landfills as there is a lack of monetary incentive for its collection and recycling. Help us recover <strong>1000kg</strong> of low value plastic waste which otherwise would pollute our environment.</td>
<td>440.00€</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Bring back <a href="https://www.startnext.com/en/precycle-for-plastic-action#rid-376266">2000kg of plastic waste</a></td>
<td>Low value plastic is often left behind in our waterbodies and landfills as there is a lack of monetary incentive for its collection and recycling. Help us recover <strong>2000kg</strong> of low value plastic waste which otherwise would pollute our environment.</td>
<td>880.00€</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>The Precycle Plastic Action campaign aims to demonstrate how the power of united action can bring about profound change! We hope you join us on this journey to create a brighter and fairer tomorrow!</p>
<p>So let’s get to work and recover and recycle plastic waste from our environment!</p>

Plastic Action by Precycle

<p>Precycle is building a fair waste management infrastructure that reduces plastic waste from the past, present, and future. Our plastic credit system allows brands and individuals to take united action against plastic consumption.</p>
<p>It is now possible to consider the end of a product's lifecycle and prepare adequate infrastructure prior to its disposal. Instead of leaving plastics afterlife up to chance, we can create waste management structures that take preemptive action. Precycle aims to create safe plastic biorhythms that harmonize with the natural world.
This is possible through our plastic credit system. Plastic Credits are generated by our impact partners - recyclers in the Global South who recover and recycle plastic waste under fair work conditions. These credits can be used by brands and individuals in the Global North, who want to offset their plastic emissions. 100% of the offset value is directed to our partner projects on-ground. This contribution increases overall profit margins for recyclers, who operate in highly informal and competitive markets. Higher margins enable workers to self-sustain and invest in upscaling their operations. This also creates an incentive for other recyclers to follow operational standards.</p>
<p><img src="/assets/blog/3-inline.png" alt="Waste Workers" title="Waste Workers"></p>
<h3>Our impact</h3>
<p>We partner up with recyclers in developing nations who meet our impact standards. All our divisions will be run according to third party certification standards. Potential partners for transparency include <a href="https://verra.org/project/plastic-program/"> Verra Plastic Waste Reduction</a> and <a href="https://www.obpcert.org/ocean-bound-plastic-certification-document-center2/">Ocean Bound Plastic Neutrality</a>, to ensure that we maintain ethical and sustainable practices. Our goal is to create triple impact: social, economic and environmental.</p>
<h4>Social Impact</h4>
<p>Waste workers in developing nations are predominantly unregistered and denied access to fair wages and health security. This sector also often sees child labour as it is highly unregulated. By incentivizing players into formalizing their operations, we ensure that workers have access to dignified employment and an opportunity for a better future for themselves and their families!</p>
<h4>Economic Impact - making plastic recycling profitable</h4>
<p>By ethically collecting and recycling plastic waste from landfills, oceans and beaches we aren’t just reducing water and land pollution, we’re also increasing the flow of recycled plastic into the global market. Moreover, by making finance and technology available to these countries we are helping the plastic recycling sector scale and grow. By investing into the plastic recycling market, and helping it flourish, we can make the plastic recycling sector both profitable and sustainable.</p>
<h4>Environmental Impact</h4>
<p>Our model focuses on:</p>
<ul>
<li>the recovery and recycling of plastic waste from the environment</li>
<li>globally financing the waste management infrastructure</li>
</ul>
<p>This means that while removing waste from land and ocean today, we are also building a solution for the plastic currently in the consumption cycle that will become the waste of tomorrow. In other words, we’re creating a sustainable ecosystem that handles plastic waste from the past, present, and future.</p>
<p>Why act now?
The environmental burden of plastic pollution is steadily increasing. The material is not just found in land, air, and water but now also inside animals and human bodies. Plastic pollution will remain in our environment for decades to come if we don't find an immediate solution that treats the accumulating waste material.</p>
<p>To get started: choose the quantity of plastic you want to bring back into the system (with one credit being equivalent to 1kg) and we send your contribution directly to where it does the most. One of our partner organizations in a low-income country will collect and recycle the credit amount on your behalf - under fair and safe working conditions.</p>
<p>You're just <a href="https://www.precycle.today/individuals#takeAction">one click away</a> from leading a plastic-conscious life or building an environmentally-friendly brand that leaves a clean legacy.</p>
<p>We are all part of the problem - be part of the solution!</p>
<p>You can join the precycle community today and contribute to creating a better tomorrow!</p>
<p>In the next article you will read more about the People of Precycle! and how the mission to fix the global plastic system brought 6 individuals from 3 different continents together.</p>

Hello Precycle

<h2>The Status Quo</h2>
<p>At the moment, the global plastic pollution problem is a one-way street. One of the main reasons is this: The money doesn't go where the waste goes. Plastic waste is generated all over the world, but most of it, by far, comes from the high-income countries. It does, however, not stay there. What at first glance comes across as an effective waste management system of the developed nations, at a closer look turns out to be more of an "out of sight, out of mind"-mentality. A lot of the most serious offenders, concerning waste production, are in the habit of shipping out their waste to developing nations, where it is met with a virtually non-existent waste management infrastructure. The task of waste management there is mostly left to informal waste workers, who pick through the garbage manually and repurpose their findings. But they don't have access to fair wages, health insurance or a safe and secure work environment. They get discarded by society.
Accordingly, most of the waste gets inadequately disposed of and ultimately ends up in the landfills and in the ocean. So even though they don't create most of the plastic waste, low-income countries are the main source of global ocean plastic pollution.</p>
<p>Precycle addresses this problem by building a fair waste management infrastructure in order to handle plastic waste from the past, present, and future. You can <a href="https://www.precycle.today/individuals">join our movement</a> by taking responsibility for your plastic consumption.</p>
<p><img src="/assets/blog/2-inline.png" alt="People picking up trash" title="Pickup up trash"></p>
<h2>IN THE GLOBAL PLASTIC SYSTEM MONEY DOESN’T GO WHERE THE TRASH GOES!</h2>
<p>Sadly, the global waste management system is terribly broken. At first glance the high-income countries seem to have effective waste management systems in place, for example through waste separation and recycling efforts. But in reality, very little plastic waste is recycled - the rest gets incinerated or disposed of in landfills. About 42% of all plastic waste worldwide consists of packaging, which is designed for single usage. Only 14% of packaging is recycled, another 14% is incinerated, and the remaining 72% ends up in the environment. Burned plastic releases carbon dioxide and toxic chemicals into the air, which pose a health hazard and have a major impact on climate change. During its slow decomposition, the littered plastic releases its toxic additives into the environment for generations.</p>
<p>In addition, the topic of global waste management not only negatively impacts our environment and health but also creates a social justice issue. High-income countries (e.g., Japan, Germany, and the USA) trade their plastic waste and the associated responsibilities, risks, and burdens to low-income countries (e.g., Turkey, Vietnam, and Malaysia). But the latter don't have any significant waste management systems in place. There is an increasing number of illegal dumping grounds - the tallest reaching the height of an <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai/maximum-city-maximum-garbage/story-aovw6DnajA9rKSZvELFJwO.html">18-story tower</a>. In many developing countries, the task of waste management is left to informal waste workers - oftentimes children and women - who pick through the waste manually and repurpose their findings. In Latin America, for example, waste workers provide up to 50% of all the recyclable materials to the local recycling companies. For all their efforts, they are not only disregarded by society but also pay with their health. Waste workers don't have access to fair wages, health insurance, or a safe work environment.</p>
<p>So in regards to the waste management problem, both developing and developed nations are utterly failing. On the one hand, the developed nations have to answer for their incineration practices, waste deportation, and an ineffective green dot system, which adds to the ecological burden. On the other hand, the developing nations - through their lack of infrastructure, illegal dumping, and informal operations - increase the social and environmental disparity.</p>
<p>This needs to change. To overcome our global plastic pollution problem, we not only need to reduce our waste production but also establish a functioning and effective system to manage the already existing waste. Waste workers around the world provide an essential public service. They need fair wages to improve their working and living conditions. We can no longer accept the one-way street of plastic waste, where it ultimately ends up polluting our natural environment. Rather than that, we need to create a circular way for plastic waste that contains its recycling and repurposing. And to this end, the money needs to go where the waste goes.</p>

Should out of sight mean out of mind?

<h2>Summary</h2>
<p>The plastic problem rests mainly on two legs:</p>
<ul>
<li>The mindless consumption of plastic</li>
<li>The mismanagement of the resulting waste</li>
</ul>
<p>While the solution to this problem sounds simple - reduce, reuse, recycle - its execution is anything but. The global waste management system is terribly broken: According to the <a href="https://www.unep.org/interactive/beat-plastic-pollution/">UN Environment report</a>, only 9% of all plastic ever produced has been recycled, while 12% has been incinerated and a staggering 79% has ended up in landfills, dumps, or the natural environment. While most plastic waste comes from high-income nations, a lot of it gets exported to low-income nations, where it is inadequately disposed of and at risk of <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/plastic-pollution#mismanaged-plastic-waste">polluting rivers and oceans</a>. The poor waste management of these nations is the primary source of <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/plastic-pollution#plastic-trade-impact-of-china-s-import-ban">global ocean plastic pollution</a>. Therefore, improving global waste management, especially in low-income countries, is critical to reducing the global plastic pollution problem. Even if we could stop our plastic consumption instantly, we still would have a whole lot of mess to clean.</p>
<p><strong>Precycle</strong> addresses this problem by building a fair waste management infrastructure in order to handle plastic waste from the past, present, and future. You can join our movement by taking responsibility for your plastic consumption.</p>
<h2>What is the plastic problem?</h2>
<p>Plastic is everywhere. In our water, air, soils. Even our bodies are contaminated with it. Plastic has existed for less than one hundred years, but it already claims a place in nearly every aspect of human life. Over <a href="https://www.plasticseurope.org/application/files/5716/0752/4286/AF_Plastics_the_facts-WEB-2020-ING_FINAL.pdf">368 million tons of plastic</a> have been produced in 2019 alone. If plastic production continues to follow the trend of the last fifty years, it will increase <a href="https://www.boell.de/sites/default/files/2019-11/Plastic%20Atlas%202019.pdf">to 600 million tons by 2025</a>.</p>
<h3>How is that a problem?</h3>
<p>The environmental impact of plastic is disastrous. Of the roughly 9.2 billion tons of plastic that have been produced already, over a half has ended up as waste, left to decompose. But one of the most valuable benefits of plastic - its longevity - simultaneously generates its biggest drawback: Plastic isn't completely biodegradable. Instead, it disintegrates over time into increasingly smaller particles - a process that can take several hundred years. During its decomposition, plastic releases countless hazardous additives, like plasticizers, stabilizers, colorants, and reinforcement agents, into the environment. There they are inhaled, ingested, and absorbed by plants, animals, and humans. A <a href="https://www.spiegel.de/gesundheit/schwangerschaft/weichmacher-und-pfoa-fast-alle-kinder-mit-gesundheitskritischen-chemikalien-belastet-a-1286708.html">2019 study</a> showed that an alarming 97% of 2,500 tested children have microplastic in their blood and urine. The potential health effects of micro and nano plastic exposure to humans are still not sufficiently researched, but <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7068600/">current findings</a> suggest metabolic disturbances, neurotoxicity, and an increased cancer risk. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7967748/">Some</a> even suspect a negative impact on human reproduction and early childhood development.</p>
<p><img src="/assets/blog/1-inline.png" alt="Ocean plastic" title="Ocean plastic"></p>
<h3>So why not just dispense with plastic entirely?</h3>
<p>It is, of course, a commendable effort for every individual not to cause any more plastic waste. There are countless tips and tricks for a nearly plastic-free life accessible to every interested individual - and the general awareness of the problem proliferates. Consumers are placing more value on sustainability, increasing the pressure on companies to take action. But to aim for a completely plastic-free world is to ignore an important fact:</p>
<p>Our modern society would be unthinkable without plastic. It is incomparable to any other material, seeing as it's versatile, durable, and cheap. Even though we discovered plastic only 70 years ago, it plays a vital role in nearly every aspect of human life, such as packaging, medicine, communication, construction, and mobility. Thanks to plastic, we can maintain certain safety and hygiene standards worldwide, for example through disposable syringes or food packaging. The trade-offs between plastic and possible substitutes are complex and would have to be examined case-by-case so as not to create additional blows to our environment. Hence, a completely plastic-free world is neither realistic nor desirable at this point.</p>
<p>And even if we stopped using plastic immediately, there would still be <a href="https://www.plasticsoupfoundation.org/en/plastic-facts-and-figures/#gebruik">over 5 billion tons of plastic waste left</a> worldwide. The management of this waste determines the risk to our environment and health. So while it is indeed critical to stop the problem at the source and reduce our plastic consumption and waste wherever possible, we just can't entirely stop using plastic. An effective waste management system on a global scale is, therefore, crucial to reducing plastic pollution.</p>
<p>In our next blog, we discuss the status quo of the plastic waste management system around the world. Curious to read more? <a href="/blog/should-out-of-sight-mean-out-of-mind">Jump to the next article</a></p>

PRECYCLE BLOG trash talk that matters

PRECYCLE BLOG
trash talk that matters