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TED TALK Review: David Katz Offers A Surprising Solution To The Problem Of Plastic In The Oceans
There is an absolutely staggering amount of plastic in the oceans. But as David Katz explains in his TED Talk, if we want to address the problem, the very last thing we need to do is attempt to clean the oceans. Because rather than trying to remove the plastic already littering the Earth’s waters, he instead explains that unless we tackle the problem of how the non-biodegradable waste is getting there in first place, the problem will never go away.
Which is why Katz helped to create the Plastic Bank, a chain of stores in which plastic waste can be used as a currency. Established throughout poverty-stricken countries where recycling would not usually be a top priority as people would be struggling to make a living, the Plastic Bank scheme sounds like it could truly be the most effective way of putting a permeant stop to the problem at hand.
So if you happen to live near a Plastic Bank store, all you need to do is bring them some old plastic items which you can then exchange for a variety of physical goods including cooking oil and stoves, or you could ask them for money to go towards things including wifi, school tuition, and cell phone minutes. According to Katz, this business model gives people a steady and reliable income, in addition to a new sense of worth, and even allowed a formally homeless woman to be able to be able to send her children to school.
The plastic bought to the stress sold to companies including Marks & Spencers and Henkel, a German consumer goods company, who then use the materials to make their products, so instead of being dumped into the ocean, the plastic waste will actually end up going to good use.
To learn more about the amazing work done by the Plastic Bank, you can visit their official website, their Facebook page, and their YouTube channel. This is one charity definitely worth supporting because they are bringing us one step closer towards a world with clean oceans.
