What has plastic pollution got to do with poverty?

When making purchases, most low-income communities across the globe rely on economical options often packed in single-use plastic, such as water bottles, sachets, and more. This leads to the overconsumption of cheap disposable goods, which contributes to the global plastic pollution affecting us all.

Developing countries often lack plastic recycling programs and infrastructure, and have inadequate waste management systems. This creates a huge amount of single-use plastic left in the environment, eventually finding its way to our ocean.

The only way to break this unfavorable cycle is to provide low-income communities with access to waste management infrastructure and education to make more informed decisions about plastic consumption, while simultaneously empowering them with additional income and social benefits to pave a path out of poverty.

Which countries generate the most plastic waste?

US ranks first in the top 10 countries that generate the most plastic waste – producing 34 billion kilograms annually. India comes at second place with 26.3 billion kilograms of plastic waste, followed by China (21.6 billion kilograms), Brazil (10.6 billion kilograms), Indonesia (9.1 billion kilograms), Russia (8.4 billion kilograms), Germany (6.6 billion kilograms), the UK (6.4 billion kilograms), Mexico (5.9 billion kilograms) and Japan (4.8 billion kilograms).

Although the population of developed countries generate high amounts of plastic waste, they have better waste management infrastructure and plastic recycling facilities in their communities. Thus, developing countries tend to produce a higher amount of mismanaged plastic waste that leaks into the ocean.

Source: Lourens J. J. Meijer, et al, 2021, “More than 1000 rivers account for 80% of global riverine plastic emissions into the ocean” Science Advances, https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aaz5803

Which countries are most responsible for ocean plastic pollution?

Countries with smaller land areas, lengthier coastlines, increased rainfall, and inadequate waste management infrastructures are more prone to having plastic waste end up in the ocean. More than 1,000 rivers account for 80% of global annual emissions, which range between 0.8 million and 2.7 million metric tons per year, with small urban rivers among the most polluting.

Philippines is the leading country on the list of top 10 ocean plastic contributors – generating an estimated 356,371 MT of plastic waste in our ocean. This is followed by India (126,513 MT) Malaysia (73,098 MT), China (70,707 MT), Indonesia (56,333 MT), Myanmar (40,000 MT), Brazil (37,799 MT), Vietnam (28,221 MT), Bangladesh (24,640 MT), and Thailand (22,806 MT). The primary contributors to ocean plastic pollution are concentrated in developing Asian nations, with the exception of Brazil.

How does Plastic Bank decide which country to operate in?

Prior to expanding to a new country or community, we evaluate a range of factors:

• The volume of plastic leaking into the ocean
• Poverty level
• Population density
• Level of collection infrastructure already in place
• Access to local processors, their capabilities, and capacity
• Logistical infrastructure
• Presence of coastal communities looking for additional income

Based on the outcome from these findings, we consider countries and communities for our short, mid and long-term expansion roadmap.

How do you incentivise communities to gather plastic?

When we enter a community, we engage with collection members, households, small business owners, cooperatives, community centres, and schools to drive awareness, engagement and behavioural changes.

Through broad engagement, we discover the most desired unmet social needs of the communities. This helps us to localize our collection model and tailor our social programs to have maximum impact.

2019

Brazil launch

SOCIAL BENEFITS

Grocery Baskets in Brazil: This program delivers monthly grocery baskets containing staples such as rice, flour, cornmeal, and fresh local produce to families in need, ensuring consistent access to essential food items.

2020

Egypt launch

SOCIAL BENEFITS

Healthcare Benefits: Through a partnership with Smart Company, we offer a Sehaty discount card to collection members and their families. They receive up to 40% discount on a wide range of health services, including medicine and clinic visits.

2018

Indonesia launch

SOCIAL BENEFITS

Grocery vouchers: To address high poverty and undernourishment rates, we provide monthly grocery vouchers for a year for our members. Members can buy essential items like rice and cooking oil through a partnership with Alfamart.

Health insurance: Collaborating with BPJS Kesehatan, Plastic Bank offers a comprehensive health insurance plan, covering everything from primary care to hospital visits. Collection members are also given trainings to use the insurance effectively.

Life and accident insurance: In partnership with BPJS Ketenagakerjaan, we provide members with work, accident, and life insurance. This ensures coverage for workplace incidents and family protection in cases of death or disability.

2016

Philippines launch

SOCIAL BENEFITS

Grocery vouchers: Addressing poverty and hunger, this program offers monthly grocery e-vouchers via SMS for a year. It helps families buy necessities and essential groceries like rice, cooking oil, noodles, and canned goods at stores like Walmart, Robinsons, SM, and Shopwise, in partnership with Sodexo.

Life and accident insurance: Partnering with the Red Cross, we offer accident and life insurance to collection members. This covers costs like emergency medical bills, daily hospital allowance, and compensation for accidental death or serious injuries. Collection members are also given trainings to use the insurance effectively.

2023

Thailand launch

2024

Cameroon launch

What has plastic pollution got to do with poverty?

When making purchases, most low-income communities across the globe rely on economical options often packed in single-use plastic, such as water bottles, sachets, and more. This leads to the overconsumption of cheap disposable goods, which contributes to the global plastic pollution affecting us all.

Developing countries often lack plastic recycling programs and infrastructure, and have inadequate waste management systems. This creates a huge amount of single-use plastic left in the environment, eventually finding its way to our ocean.

The only way to break this unfavorable cycle is to provide low-income communities with access to waste management infrastructure and education to make more informed decisions about plastic consumption, while simultaneously empowering them with additional income and social benefits to pave a path out of poverty.