<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>


Exploring the plastic problem

<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>


PRECYCLE BLOG trash talk that matters

PRECYCLE BLOG
trash talk that matters