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‘Upcycling' Ocean Plastic Trash Comes into Fashion

Erica Cirino

August 07, 2017 |

News Deeply |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Cape Porpoise, Maine

When global oil prices drop, so do incentives to recycle plastic materials, and even more plastic debris and trash ends up collecting in our oceans and ecosystem. An alternative solution in the form of "up-cycling" is helping to combat plastic pollution, as nonprofits and do-gooders who gather beach and ocean trash partner up with companies and retailers to produce desirable products crafted from materials collected out of the oceans.

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Ghost Gear Busters: Paying Fishers to Collect Derelict Nets, Traps

Erica Cirino

July 26, 2017 |

News Deeply |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Barnegat Bay, New Jersey

"Ghost gear" describes the nets, lines, and other debris lost off the back of commercial fishing boats in staggering amounts each year, and it spells death for hundreds of thousands of marine animals and birds who get tangled in it. Previously, there was little financial incentive to pull this litter back out of the water, but a new public-private partnership called Fishing For Energy is paying fishers to gather up ghost gear and help recycle it, as well as developing new technologies to prevent bycatch and educating communities about the issue.

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How Vienna Conquered Its Own Filth

Feargus O'Sullivan

June 27, 2017 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Austria, Vienna

With the staggering amounts of garbage produced by modern lifestyles, waste disposal is becoming an increasingly difficult challenge for communities around the world. Vienna has tackled the trouble of trash with an innovative system, channeling the heat from incineration to warm homes and provide hot water, recovering reusable items from the waste stream and selling them in a special shop, and proactively educating the populace about how to reduce waste.

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A second life for waste

Amina Nazarli

June 24, 2017 |

AzerNews |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Azerbaijan

Students are paving the path for a more sustainable and environmentally conscious future in Azerbaijan. In a state that doesn't sort its garbage, this group of student-volunteers started "Papillon," a project aimed at up-cycling discarded waste into useful and aesthetic interior decorations and accessories.

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The woman who wants you to rent used baby clothes

Dougal Shaw

June 03, 2017 |

BBC |

Broadcast TV News |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: Denmark, Copenhagen

Movies, books, apartments: these are all things we commonly rent. One Danish couple is adding baby clothes to the list to reduce waste.

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Turning Haiti's Plastic Trash into Cash

Gemma Newby Sahar Zand

May 23, 2017 |

BBC |

Radio |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Haiti, Cap-Haïtien, Department of Nord

Eight million metric tons of plastic waste ends up in the ocean every year, including in Haiti where it litters the beaches and causes sanitation issues. A social entrepreneur from Executives Without Borders partnered with Haiti Recycling to streamline processes, increase efficiency, and sustainably monetize the collecting and recycling of plastic waste through a new organization, Ramase Lajan. When oil prices tanked and the recycling centers struggled to maintain a profit, social enterprise Thread stepped in to take up the plastic, turning it into fabric to make socially responsible goods for sale.

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Printing A Solution to the World's Biggest Problems

Wendy Williams

May 11, 2017 |

Pro Bono Australia |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Solomon Islands, Honiara, Guadalcanal

A research fellow at Deakin University’s School of Engineering in Australia has developed a world-first technology 3D printer prototype capable of printing plumbing and sanitation supplies using discarded plastics - and what's more, it runs on solar power. They are partnering with NGO Plan International to implement this technology in the Solomon Islands, where locals will be taught to print the parts they need, thereby solving the dual problems of plastic rubbish and a lack of access to vital mechanical parts for clean water supply. The model gives these communities tools to solve their own problems, and could have endless applications as the technology evolves.

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Can plastic roads help save the planet?

Dougal Shaw

April 25, 2017 |

BBC |

Broadcast TV News |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: Scotland, Lockerbie, Dumfries and Galloway

Even with such increasingly popular trends as reusable grocery bags and biodegradable food containers, 70% of plastic products end up in landfills; but with the help of a local start-up, MacRebur, several townships in Scotland are cutting back on this quantity while simultaneously servicing and improving the quality of their transportation networks.

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Chicago Sees Big Shift in Grocery Shopping Habit

Rachel Dovey

April 25, 2017 |

Next City |

Multi-Media |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

What happens when you get charged for something? People will be less likely to do it, that’s the theory behind taxing plastic bags, a move that is seeing big results in cities like Chicago.

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Smart idea: Dump your waste, get paid

Mayank Manohar

April 16, 2017 |

The Times of India |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: India, New Delhi

In order to encourage people to properly dispose of their waste, New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has installed smart vending machines for recyclable waste at Connaught Place and India Gate. In return for making the sustainable waste choice, users receive monetary rewards via e-wallet.

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