Harvest Plastic Programs

The Harvest Plastic Program was initiated by Ocean Recovery Alliance and NGO2 Bambooshoot Foundation in Cambodia during the pandemic in 2020, and is now being replicated successfully in Lombok, Indonesia.  The program focuses on the uncontaminated collection of all plastic types from village households, making it easier to sort and process plastic for recycling, and immediately leads to avoided dumping in the environment, waterways and open burning.  The programs are active in village communities which do not have access to normal waste management or collection services, and are now showing proof of how it's Jurisdictional Upswell movement programs bring about positive societal change across entire communities at one time.  By focusing on plastic of all types from households before it is allowed to be contaminated by other waste materials, it allows for scaled recovery of material, with quality, which helps initiate and inspire recycling solutions and fit-for-purpose technologies which expand this plastic feedstock into broader circular economy markets.

 

Within six months we have initiated Harvest Plastic in six village communities in Lombok, engaging over 3,000 people, and with collections every two weeks of between 600kg and 1,200kg of uncontaminated plastic in each village.  The goal is to expand this program so to new jurisdictions, within Lombok, Indonesia in general, and also into new countries where replication can take place.