Education and community
Cleanups, schools, clubs and events that build lasting habits and support.
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Organization
100 Projects in 100 Countries
Year-round rolling competition from the Rotary Club of Newport Beach Global Service Committee, presented with the Environmental Xperience at EarthX and CNN’s Call to Earth.
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Organization
5 Gyres Institute
Santa Monica, California, USA | Founded 2009
Science-led nonprofit that measured plastic in all five subtropical ocean gyres and uses that research to drive policy and corporate change.
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Organization
Algalita Marine Research and Education
Long Beach, California, USA | Founded 1994
Founded by Captain Charles Moore, who brought the Great Pacific Garbage Patch to public attention; now focused on youth education.
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Organization
Clean Up Australia
Sydney, Australia | Founded 1989
Founded by Ian Kiernan in 1989, Clean Up Australia Day brings communities, schools, businesses and Rotary clubs together each year to clear litter, much of it plastic, from parks, beaches and waterways.
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Organization
EarthX
Dallas, Texas, USA
Dallas-based environmental nonprofit behind one of the world’s largest Earth Day gatherings; host of the Environmental Xperience.
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Organization
EndPlasticSoup (Rotary)
Amsterdam, Netherlands | Founded 2018
Rotary movement started by Amsterdam clubs in 2018 that mobilizes Rotary, Rotaract and Interact clubs worldwide to end plastic soup by 2050.
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Organization
ESRAG (Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group)
Rotary Action Group that supports clubs on environmental projects; home of the Plastic Solutions Taskforce and EndPlasticSoup.
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Organization
Ocean Conservancy
Washington, DC, USA
Runs the International Coastal Cleanup, whose volunteer data on what washes up has shaped bans and product redesigns around the world.
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Organization
Ocean Recovery Alliance
Hong Kong
Hong Kong based group behind practical tools that help cities and businesses measure and reduce plastic leakage.
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Organization
One Earth One Ocean
Munich and Kiel, Germany | Founded 2011
German nonprofit that builds its own waste-collecting boats and runs local collection and sorting teams to clear plastic from rivers, harbours and coasts.
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Technology
Open-source community recycling
Widely used at small scale
Small shredders, extruders and presses built from free plans let schools, makerspaces and villages recycle plastic into products locally.
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Research
Our World in Data: Plastic Pollution
Our World in Data | Our World in Data | Updated regularly
Free, regularly updated charts on plastic production, waste handling and ocean inputs by country. Good for presentations.
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Organization
Plastic Bank
Vancouver, Canada | Founded 2013
Pays collectors in coastal communities a premium for plastic they gather, using a digital record to trace the material to brands that reuse it.
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Organization
Plastic Free Bali (Rotary)
West Bali, Indonesia
A Rotary Foundation global grant by the Rotary Clubs of Bali Seminyak, Woodend (Victoria) and Perth with Yayasan Biosfir Indonesia, bringing waste sorting, composting, recycling and door-to-door education to four villages beside West Bali National Park.
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Organization
Plastic Free Foundation (Plastic Free July)
Perth, Australia | Founded 2011
Runs the Plastic Free July challenge, which millions of people join each year to cut single-use plastic at home, school and work.
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Organization
Plastic Oceans International
Uses documentary film and education to change how people use plastic, with chapters in several countries.
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Organization
Plastic Pollution Coalition
Founded 2009
Alliance of organizations, businesses and individuals working for a world free of plastic pollution and its toxic impacts.
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Organization
Plastic Soup Foundation
Amsterdam, Netherlands | Founded 2011
Amsterdam advocacy group focused on microplastics, human health and education, and a reference partner for Rotary’s EndPlasticSoup.
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Organization
Precious Plastic
Founded 2013
Free open-source plans for small shredders, extruders and presses so any community can recycle plastic into products locally.
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Organization
Rotary International
Evanston, Illinois, USA
More than a million members in over 46,000 clubs. The environment became Rotary’s seventh area of focus in 2020, opening Foundation grants to plastic projects.
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Organization
Seabin Project
Australia
Floating bins for marinas and ports that catch floating litter and microplastics, paired with local data and school programmes.
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Organization
Seas & Straws
Bocas del Toro, Panama, and Germany | Founded 2018
Founded by eco warrior Jana Koebel: a plastic-free living and travel hub, plastic-free consulting for hotels, and on-the-ground recycling projects with One Earth One Ocean in Bocas del Toro, Panama.
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Organization
Surfrider Foundation
San Clemente, California, USA | Founded 1984
Coastal network whose chapters win local bag and foam bans and certify Ocean Friendly Restaurants that drop single-use plastic.
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Organization
Take 3 for the Sea
Australian movement asking everyone to pick up three pieces of rubbish whenever they leave the beach, a waterway or anywhere else.
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Organization
Tangaroa Blue Foundation
Runs the Australian Marine Debris Initiative, where volunteers log what they collect on beaches so the data can trace litter to its source and stop it there.
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Organization
The Environmental Xperience
Global sustainability event series at EarthX where projects like RiverRecycle and One Earth One Ocean present their work.