Types of plastic we collect
There’s a lot of terms used when it comes to plastic and where it’s collected. Here’s a breakdown of the type of plastic we collect where it comes from and what that means.
We collect plastic from 3 sources
Ocean Plastic
Ocean-Bound Plastic
River Plastic
Nature-Bound Plastic
Ocean-Bound Plastic - This is plastic that is within 50 KM of the ocean and is an area where the waste is mismanaged. Mismanaged waste means that the waste isn’t properly disposed of and because of it’s proximity to the ocean is at high risk of entering the ocean. We estimate that about 50% of the ocean-bound plastic that we could collect would have ended up in the ocean and the other 50% would have been burned in open fires.
Ocean-Plastic - this is plastic that is in the ocean or was in the ocean and washed back up onto the beach. This plastic is very negatively affecting the environment polluting oceans and beaches and harming marine and human life.
River Plastic - this is our term for plastic we pull out of rivers or streams. This plastic has a very very high likelihood of entering the ocean and is already polluting the river. This plastic can be any distance from the ocean.
Nature-Bound Plastic - this is mismanaged waste that is further away than 50 km from the ocean. This plastic will either be burned or pollute the environment in some other way. Being further away from the ocean means it’s not considered ocean-bound but that doesn’t mean that it won’t end up in the ocean it just has a lower risk. For example, The Motagua River in Guatemala has millions of pounds of plastic that flow down it that come from almost 300 kilometers away!
Classifications of plastic that we collect
We are able to collect and recycle all of these types of plastic and will soon be able to expand what we’re able to collect and recycle with your help.
Type 1 PET: This is the type of plastic that most beverages come in. This is one of the most prevalent types of plastic and it’s also one of the easiest to recycle.
Type 2 HDPE: This is the second most common type of plastic that we find. This is what milk jugs and detergent containers are made of.
Type 5 PP - This type of plastic is what yogurt containers are made there is also an established recycling market for this type of plastic.
We recycle all of the plastic that we collect and only collect what we can recycle. Why do we do this? Because in developing countries they don’t have contained landfills or other ethical disposal options very often that means that the landfills will often dump into rivers and streams that take it right back to the ocean. So by focusing on what can be recycled we can collect a lot more plastic and make sure it doesn’t end up back in the ocean.
Why is burning plastic so bad?
Plastic is made from oil with a lot of added chemicals. This means that when you burn it plastic you’re not only releasing greenhouse gases but you’re also releasing toxic chemicals into the air. This has a direct effect on human health.