Impact Case Study: A decade of innovation in support of initiatives that remove or prevent ocean pollution
2021-2030 was declared the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, where top of the list of desirable outcomes is ‘a clean ocean where sources of pollution are identified and reduced or removed’.
Despite many years of the media spotlight on plastic pollution in the ocean, the flow of solid waste shows few signs of slowing down, especially from countries where municipal waste collections and proper disposable is either non-existent or lacking, but there is hope. Along with technological advances in the production of alternative materials, recycling innovation, and circularity being built into production practices, there are millions of informal waste collectors working worldwide to remove, recycle and properly dispose of the waste which has already entered the environment before, and after, it enters the ocean.
For the past decade BVRio has been at the forefront of developing market mechanisms to connect these informal waste workers with the producers who are responsible for the most commonly found ocean waste products, in order to safely, effectively, and profitably remove this waste from the environment. These initiatives now have a global reach and have evolved over time to help meet new legislation, and to utilise new technology.
Our history in this area goes back to our beginnings in 2011, with creation of the first plastic credits exchange, in 2013, our Reverse Logistics Credits scheme, but most recently, we are working in partnership with Italian social enterprise, Ogyre, on a project to manage the removal of solid waste from Guanabara Bay in Rio de Janeiro, by a community of local fishers. The project will see the team of fishers removing an estimated 100 tons of plastic waste from the bay in their traditional fishing boats during 2022, providing additional income for 25 families.
Their ‘catch’ is being registered and monitored through BVRio’s KOLEKT app, as part of the app’s field trials. KOLEKT uses images and GPS in order to verify the inputs of both the seller, the fishers, and the buyer, a local recycling cooperative, and the app’s web-based dashboard is used to track and administer all transactions. This project is just one of the ocean waste projects listed on BVRio’s Circular Action Hub.
The Hub features 100+ waste recovery and recycling projects from over 30 countries worldwide. Projects are listed, for free, to provide producers with a directory of initiatives which may be able to meet their needs in terms of fulfilling Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and Corporate Social and Environmental Responsibility (CSER) commitments.
Currently on the Hub there are 14 projects dedicated to removing waste from waterways and the ocean.
From South America;
- Fishing for Litter in Rio de Janeiro (311)
- Recycling plastics from Amazon rivers (283)
- Biotoilet: no more sewage in the Amazon´s water (183)
From North America;
- Net your problem: fishing gear recycling USA (213)
- Plastic recovery and repurposing in Mexico beaches (156)
From Central America;
- Ocean mission™, a lavergne initiative, Haiti (251)
- Waste, people and reef health: circular economy in Honduras (208)
- Odyssey’s fishing net regeneration scheme, UK (193)
- Paddle for plastic campaign UK (108)
- River cleaning: floating waste collector in Italy (285)
- Ocean plastic recovery from protected areas in Indonesia (209)
- Marine debris collection and plastic recovery in Indonesia (305)
- Second life Thailand: reduce plastic ocean pollution (192)
- Cleaning the Holy river Ganges in India (262)
Please login, without obligation, for the full project details, or to see a brief overview visit the project list.
To support the transparent trading of plastic credits, there are now four waste certification standards endorsed by the Hub, including added in 2021, the Ocean Bound Plastic Neutrality Subprogramme by Zero Plastic Oceans (ZPO). This market-based mechanism for financing the removal and treatment of non-commercially recyclable OBP, is complementary to the OBP Recycling Subprogram that caters for the commercially recyclable portion of the OBP. Combined, both Subprograms ensure all Ocean Bound Plastic can be collected and managed following environmentally sound and fairtrade practices.
Please contact us via info@circularactionhub to discuss waste footprint solutions or involvement with the Hub.
"Mwaka wa 2030 umetajwa kama ""Mwaka wa Sayansi ya Bahari kwa Maendeleo Endelevu,"" ambapo orodha ya matokeo yanayotakiwa ni ""bahari safi ambapo vyanzo vya uchafuzi vinatambuliwa na kupunguzwa au kuondolewa.""" Licha ya miaka mingi ya vyombo vya habari kuangazia uchafuzi wa plastiki baharini, mtiririko wa taka imara unaonyesha ishara chache za kupunguza, haswa kutoka nchi ambazo ukusanyaji wa taka za manispaa na kutupwa sahihi haipo au haipo, lakini kuna matumaini. Pamoja na maendeleo ya kiteknolojia katika uzalishaji wa vifaa mbadala, uvumbuzi wa kuchakata, na mzunguko unaojengwa katika mazoea ya uzalishaji, kuna mamilioni ya wakusanyaji wa taka wasio rasmi wanaofanya kazi ulimwenguni kote kuondoa, kuchakata na kuondoa kwa usahihi taka ambazo tayari zimeingia mazingira kabla na baada ya kuingia baharini. Kwa miaka kumi iliyopita, BVI imekuwa katika mstari wa mbele katika kuendeleza mifumo ya soko kuunganisha wafanyakazi hawa wa taka isiyo rasmi na wazalishaji ambao wanawajibika kwa bidhaa za taka za bahari zinazopatikana kwa kawaida, ili kuondoa taka hizi kwa usalama, ufanisi na faida kutoka kwa mazingira. Mpango huu sasa unafikia ulimwengu na umebadilika kwa muda ili kusaidia kukidhi sheria mpya, na kutumia teknolojia mpya. "Mwaka wa 2011 tulianzisha mpango wa kubadilishana mikopo ya plastiki, na mwaka wa 2013 mpango wetu wa ""Reverse Logistics Credits"" na hivi karibuni tumefanya kazi na kampuni ya kijamii ya Italia, OGYRE, katika mradi wa kusimamia uondoaji wa taka ngumu kutoka Guanabara Bay huko Rio de Janeiro." Mradi huo utaona timu ya wavuvi kuondoa takriban tani 100 za taka za plastiki kutoka Ghuba katika mashua zao za uvuvi za jadi mnamo 2022, ikitoa mapato ya ziada kwa familia 25. "Kukamata" kwao ni kusajiliwa na kufuatiliwa kupitia BVRio ya KOLEKT app, kama sehemu ya majaribio ya shamba ya app. KOLEKT hutumia picha na GPS ili kuthibitisha pembejeo za muuzaji, wavuvi, na mnunuzi, ushirika wa kuchakata wa ndani, na dashibodi ya mtandao ya programu hutumiwa kufuatilia na kusimamia shughuli zote. Hii ni moja tu ya miradi ya kutupa taka za bahari iliyoorodheshwa kwenye BVRio's Circular Action Hub. Kituo cha Utafiti cha Utafiti wa Takwimu kinajumuisha miradi zaidi ya 100 ya uokoaji na kuchakata taka kutoka nchi zaidi ya 30 ulimwenguni kote. Mipango hiyo imewekwa kwa ajili ya kutoa wauzaji na miongozo ya mipango ambayo inaweza kukidhi mahitaji yao katika suala la kutimiza wajibu wa uzalishaji ulioongezwa (EPR) na wajibu wa kijamii na mazingira wa ushirika (CSR). Kwa sasa, kuna miradi 14 ya kuondoa taka kutoka kwa njia za maji na bahari. "Kutoka Amerika ya Kusini, ""Uvuvi wa Plastiki"" katika Rio de Janeiro (31) - ""Ufugaji wa Plastiki kutoka Mto Amazon"" (23) - ""Usafishaji wa Plastiki kutoka kwa maeneo yaliyohifadhiwa nchini Uingereza (23) - ""Usafishaji wa Plastiki kutoka kwa maeneo yaliyohifadhiwa nchini Indonesia (24) ""Usafishaji wa Plastiki kutoka kwa maeneo yaliyohifadhiwa nchini Indonesia (24) - ""Usafishaji wa Plastiki kutoka kwa Mto Ganges"" (26) - ""Usafishaji wa Plastiki kutoka kwa Mto Haiti (26) "" - ""Usafishaji wa Plastiki kutoka kwa Mto Haiti (28) "" - ""Usafishaji wa Plastiki kutoka kwa Mto Haiti (28) "" - ""Usafishaji wa Plastiki kutoka kwa Mto Haiti (28) "" - ""Usafiri wa Plastiki wa Bahari ya Bahari ya Bahari ya Bahari ya Bahari ya Bahari ya Bahari ya Bahari ya Bahari." "Kwa hivyo, kwa kuunga mkono biashara ya uwazi ya mikopo ya plastiki, sasa kuna viwango vinne vya uthibitisho wa taka vilivyothibitishwa na Kituo cha Uhifadhi wa Plastiki, ikiwa ni pamoja na ""Programu ya Neutrality ya Plastiki ya Bahari"" iliyoongezwa mnamo 2021 na Zero Plastic Oceans (ZPO)." Mfumo huu wa soko kwa ajili ya kufadhili kuondolewa na matibabu ya OBP zisizo za kibiashara ni ziada kwa OBP Recycling Subprogram ambayo inahudumia sehemu ya kibiashara ya OBP. Pamoja, Programu zote mbili za Chini zinahakikisha kwamba plastiki yote inayohusishwa na Bahari inaweza kukusanywa na kusimamiwa kwa kufuata mazoea mazuri ya mazingira na biashara ya haki. Tafadhali wasiliana nasi kupitia info@circularactionhub kujadili suluhisho la alama ya taka au ushiriki na Kituo.