Solutions Database
Every organization, technology, law and study we track, in one place. Search by name or idea, or narrow by approach and region. Each entry links to the source so you can check it yourself.
Looking for where to recycle, reuse or repair something near you? Loopway is a circular economy directory covering all 50 US states, with guides for more than 28 categories of materials.
118 of 118 entries
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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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Research
A bacterium that degrades and assimilates poly(ethylene terephthalate)
Yoshida, S. et al. | Science | 2016
Discovery of Ideonella sakaiensis, a bacterium found at a bottle recycling site that feeds on PET. It launched the field of enzymatic recycling.
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Research
A growing plastic smog, now estimated to be over 170 trillion plastic particles afloat in the world’s oceans
Eriksen, M. et al. (5 Gyres Institute) | PLOS ONE | 2023
A 40-year time series showing a steep rise since 2005, and a call for binding global action rather than voluntary measures.
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Technology
AI and robotic sorting
Commercial, widely deployed
Cameras, near-infrared sensors and machine learning identify each item on a recycling line and robots or air jets pick it out, raising purity and capture.
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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
Algramo
Santiago, Chile
Chilean refill company whose smart dispensers and reusable containers let shoppers buy exactly what they need without new packaging.
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Organization
Alliance to End Plastic Waste
Singapore
Industry-funded alliance investing in waste collection and recycling projects. Listed for reference; its members include major plastic producers.
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Research
An engineered PET depolymerase to break down and recycle plastic bottles
Tournier, V. et al. | Nature | 2020
An engineered enzyme depolymerized 90 percent of PET in about 10 hours, and the recovered building blocks were made into new bottles. The science behind Carbios.
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Law or Bill
Basel Convention plastic waste amendments
International | In force since January 2021
Since 2021, shipments of mixed or contaminated plastic waste between countries need the prior consent of the importing country.
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Organization
Basel Convention Secretariat
Geneva, Switzerland
Its plastic waste amendments, in force since 2021, require consent before hard-to-recycle plastic waste is shipped between countries.
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Organization
Beyond Plastics
Bennington College, Vermont, USA | Founded 2019
US policy project that pairs plastics research with model legislation and training for local advocates.
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Organization
Bocas Recycle Center
Bocas del Toro, Panama
Local recycling company in Bocas del Toro, Panama, that collects plastics, cardboard, cartons, cans and glass, and is partnering with One Earth One Ocean and Seas & Straws to add ocean plastic recovery.
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Organization
Break Free From Plastic
Founded 2016
Global movement of thousands of organizations; its brand audits identify which companies’ packaging is found most often in the environment.
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Law or Bill
Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act (US Congress)
United States | Introduced, not enacted
Proposed federal bill for national producer responsibility, a bottle deposit and a pause on new plastic plants. Introduced in several sessions; not enacted.
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Technology
Bubble barriers
Deployed in European cities
A perforated tube on the riverbed releases a curtain of bubbles that pushes floating and suspended plastic to a catchment at the bank.
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Organization
Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty
Companies, financial institutions and NGOs, convened by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and WWF, asking for harmonised global rules.
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Law or Bill
California AB 2253 (recycled content claims)
California, USA | On the Governor’s desk; decision due by 30 September 2026
Would require any product claiming recycled content to back the claim with documented, certified recycled content from 2030. Opposed by Bill Shireman, author of California’s bottle bill, in a featured viewpoint.
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Law or Bill
California SB 1053 (plastic checkout bags)
California, USA | In effect since January 2026
Ends the sale of thick “reusable” plastic film bags at checkout from 1 January 2026, closing a loophole in the state’s earlier bag ban.
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Law or Bill
California SB 54 (Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act)
California, USA | In implementation; full targets by 2032
The most ambitious US packaging law: 25 percent source reduction of plastic packaging and 65 percent recycling of single-use plastic by 2032.
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Law or Bill
Chile single-use plastics in food service (Law 21.368)
Chile | In force, phased
Restricts single-use plastic in restaurants and food delivery and promotes refillable drink bottles; builds on Chile’s 2016 producer responsibility law.
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Organization
CIEL (Center for International Environmental Law)
Washington, DC and Geneva
Legal experts tracking the plastics treaty and the health impacts of plastic across its life cycle.
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Organization
Circular Action Alliance
Producer responsibility organization that runs packaging EPR programs on behalf of brands in several US states.
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Organization
Circulate Capital
Investment firm financing waste and recycling businesses in South and Southeast Asia, where leakage is highest.
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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
Closed Loop Partners
New York, USA
Invests in recycling and reuse infrastructure and runs industry consortia testing reusable cups and packaging.
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Law or Bill
Colorado HB22-1355 (Producer Responsibility Program for Recycling)
Colorado, USA | Operating; fees since January 2026
Packaging EPR law that funds statewide recycling access; producer fees began in January 2026.
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Technology
Compostable and bio-based plastics (PHA, PLA)
Commercial, with limits
Plastics made from plants or microbes that can break down under the right conditions. Useful for food-soiled items, but only where composting exists.
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Technology
Deposit return systems and reverse vending
Proven at national scale
A small refundable deposit on drink containers, collected back through machines or shops, routinely returns more than 90 percent of bottles and cans.
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Technology
Digital watermarks for packaging
Industrial trials
Invisible codes printed across a package tell sorting cameras what the item is made of and whether it held food, so it can be sorted precisely.
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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
Ellen MacArthur Foundation
Cowes, United Kingdom | Founded 2010
Leading circular economy think tank; its Global Commitment brings together companies and governments behind shared targets for plastic packaging.
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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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Technology
Enzymatic recycling of PET and polyester
Pilot to first commercial plants
Engineered enzymes break PET bottles, trays and polyester textiles back into their building blocks, which can be made into new plastic of virgin quality.
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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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Law or Bill
EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR)
European Union | Applies since 12 August 2026, with later phase-ins
Sets EU-wide rules for recyclable design, recycled content, reuse targets and labelling for all packaging.
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Law or Bill
EU Single-Use Plastics Directive
European Union | In force; bans since 2021, tethered caps since 2024
Bans single-use plastic items that have alternatives, such as cutlery, plates, straws and foam food containers, and requires tethered caps.
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Research
Evaluating scenarios toward zero plastic pollution
Lau, W. et al. (Pew Charitable Trusts and SYSTEMIQ) | Science | 2020
Modelled every major intervention together and found that combining reduction, substitution, better collection and recycling could cut plastic flows to the ocean by about 80 percent by 2040. The basis of the report “Breaking the Plastic Wave”.
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Law or Bill
France AGEC anti-waste law
France | In force since 2020, phased measures
Sets a path to end single-use plastic packaging by 2040, bans plastic around most fruit and vegetables, and requires microfibre filters in new washing machines.
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Organization
GAIA (Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives)
Network of grassroots groups building zero waste cities and fair work for waste pickers, as an alternative to burning plastic.
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Organization
Global Plastic Action Partnership
Hosted by the World Economic Forum; helps countries build national plastic action roadmaps with government, business and civil society.
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Research
Global Plastics Outlook
OECD | OECD Publishing | 2022
OECD projections of plastic use, waste and leakage by country and sector, with policy scenarios to 2060.
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Law or Bill
Global Plastics Treaty (UN negotiations)
International | Negotiations resuming; next formal session expected March 2027
A legally binding treaty on plastic pollution across its full life cycle, under negotiation since 2022.
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Organization
High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution
Group of countries, co-chaired by Norway and Rwanda, pushing for a treaty that covers the full life cycle of plastic, including production.
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Technology
Hydrothermal recycling
First commercial plant in development
Uses supercritical water to break mixed plastics, including flexible films, back into hydrocarbons for new plastic production.
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Law or Bill
India ban on identified single-use plastics
India | In force since July 2022
Bans the making, sale and use of a list of low-utility single-use items, such as plastic cutlery, straws and thin carry bags, from July 2022.
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Organization
IUCN
Gland, Switzerland
International Union for Conservation of Nature; runs plastic programmes with island and coastal states. EarthX is an IUCN member.
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Law or Bill
Kenya plastic bag ban
Kenya | In force since August 2017
One of the world’s strictest bag bans (2017), later extended to single-use plastics in protected areas.
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Organization
Loopway
Featured partner: a circular economy directory covering all 50 US states and a growing list of countries, connecting people to the organizations, programs and projects that keep reusable materials out of landfills.
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Law or Bill
Maine LD 1541 (Stewardship Program for Packaging)
Maine, USA | In implementation; stewardship organization still being selected
First US packaging EPR law (2021), reimbursing municipalities for recycling costs.
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Law or Bill
Maryland SB 901 (Packaging and Paper Products Producer Responsibility)
Maryland, USA | Early implementation; payments expected from 2028
Packaging EPR law enacted in 2025 that allows more than one producer responsibility organization.
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Law or Bill
Mexico City single-use plastics ban
Mexico City, Mexico | In force
Banned plastic bags in 2020 and many single-use items such as cutlery, straws and cups in 2021.
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Organization
Minderoo Foundation
Perth, Australia
Publishes the Plastic Waste Makers Index, which traces single-use plastic back to the companies that produce the polymer.
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Law or Bill
Minnesota HF 3911 (Packaging Waste and Cost Reduction Act)
Minnesota, USA | Early implementation
Packaging EPR law enacted in 2024 with reuse and reduction goals; producers cover at least half of costs from 2029.
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Technology
Molded plant fiber packaging
Commercial
Trays, bowls, cup lids and clamshells pressed from plant fibre replace foam and rigid plastic in food service and produce packaging.
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Technology
Mono-material and design for recycling
Commercial
Redesigning multilayer pouches, sleeves and caps so a package is made of one recyclable plastic, following recycler design guides.
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Research
More than 1000 rivers account for 80% of global riverine plastic emissions into the ocean
Meijer, L. et al. | Science Advances | 2021
Showed that plastic comes from many small and medium rivers, not just a handful of large ones, which shapes where interceptors and collection should go.
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Technology
Mycelium packaging
Commercial, niche
Mushroom roots grown around farm waste form protective packaging that replaces polystyrene foam and composts at home.
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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
OECD Environment Directorate
Paris, France
Publishes the Global Plastics Outlook, the most cited economic projections of plastic use, waste and leakage to 2060.
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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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Law or Bill
Oregon Bottle Bill
Oregon, USA | In force since 1972
America’s first container deposit law (1971), still one of the highest-performing deposit systems in the country.
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Law or Bill
Oregon SB 582 (Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act)
Oregon, USA | Operating; first fees July 2025
Packaging extended producer responsibility law; producers began paying fees in July 2025.
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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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Law or Bill
Panama City rivers, mangroves and bay cleanup plan
Panama City, Panama | Under way; 425 days of work
A US$4.8 million, 425-day program by the Alcaldía de Panamá to clear waste from the Matías Hernández and Río Abajo rivers, mangroves and the Bay of Panama shoreline. 534 tons removed by 12 September 2026.
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Law or Bill
Panama plastic bag ban (Law 1 of 2018)
Panama | In force
Panama became the first country in Central America to ban single-use polyethylene bags, relevant to our Bocas del Toro projects.
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Organization
Parley for the Oceans
Works with brands and creatives on its Avoid, Intercept, Redesign strategy, turning intercepted plastic into products.
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Law or Bill
Pending state packaging EPR bills (New Jersey, Illinois and others)
Several US states | Pending
New Jersey is seen as the most likely next state; bills were also filed in Illinois, New Hampshire, Wisconsin and Michigan. New York’s bill failed again in June 2026 and Massachusetts’ lapsed in July 2026.
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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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Research
Plastic pollution in the world’s oceans: more than 5 trillion plastic pieces weighing over 250,000 tons afloat at sea
Eriksen, M. et al. (5 Gyres Institute) | PLOS ONE | 2014
The first global estimate of floating ocean plastic, built from 5 Gyres expedition data.
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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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Research
Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean
Jambeck, J. et al. | Science | 2015
First global estimate of plastic entering the ocean from land, and a clear case that better waste management in fast-growing economies is the biggest lever.
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Research
Plastic Waste Makers Index
Minderoo Foundation | Minderoo Foundation | 2021, updated 2023
Traces single-use plastic waste back to the companies producing the polymers and the banks financing them.
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Organization
PR3 Reuse Standards
Develops shared standards so reusable containers work across brands, retailers and return points.
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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
Product Stewardship Institute
Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Tracks and helps design extended producer responsibility laws across US states, including packaging.
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Research
Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made
Geyer, R., Jambeck, J. and Law, K. L. | Science Advances | 2017
Counted all plastic made since 1950 and found only a small share has ever been recycled, making the case for design and reuse, not recycling alone.
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Technology
Pyrolysis and other chemical recycling
Mixed record
Heats mixed plastic without oxygen to make oils. Promoted as a fix for hard-to-recycle plastic, but its benefits are strongly debated.
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Technology
Recycled plastic building materials
Commercial
Mixed and low-value plastic is compressed into boards, blocks and bricks for construction, creating a market for plastic nobody else will buy.
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Technology
Recycling ships at sea: the SeeElefant
In development; first ship planned for 2027
A converted freighter with sorting, shredding and recycling systems on board that can anchor at plastic hotspots with no recycling capacity and process about 60,000 tonnes a year.
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Technology
Reuse and refill systems
Commercial, scaling
Returnable cups, food containers and refill stations replace single-use packaging entirely, with washing and logistics shared across businesses.
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Technology
River interceptors and booms
Deployed in many countries
Floating barriers and conveyor systems anchored in rivers catch plastic before it reaches the sea, where it is far harder to recover.
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Organization
RiverRecycle
Helsinki, Finland | Founded 2019
Finnish company that installs river cleaning systems on heavily polluted rivers and turns the collected plastic into building boards, creating local jobs.
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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
Rotary Waste to Resource Hub (Philippines)
Victoria, Laguna, Philippines
A Rotary global grant with Australian and Philippine clubs, led by Dana Asia and Nexuz, turning hard-to-recycle plastic sachets into eco-bricks and pavers in Victoria, Laguna: 7.2 tonnes recycled a year and 12 jobs created.
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Law or Bill
Rwanda single-use plastics law
Rwanda | In force
Rwanda banned plastic bags in 2008 and most single-use plastic items in 2019, and co-chairs the High Ambition Coalition.
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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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Technology
Seaweed-based packaging
Early commercial
Films, coatings and pods made from seaweed replace plastic in sauce sachets, takeaway box linings and flexible wraps, and break down naturally.
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Technology
Solvent-based purification
Early commercial
Dissolves a single plastic in a solvent to strip out colour, odour and contaminants, then recovers the polymer without breaking its chains.
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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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Technology
Tethered caps
Required in the EU since July 2024
Caps that stay attached to drink bottles, so the cap is collected and recycled with the bottle instead of becoming litter.
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Law or Bill
Texas: no statewide bag law
Texas, USA | Local bag bans preempted since 2018
Context for our Dallas network: in 2018 the Texas Supreme Court ruled that Laredo’s bag ban was preempted by state law, which ended local bag bans across Texas.
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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.
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Organization
The Great Bubble Barrier
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Uses a curtain of air bubbles across a canal or river to steer plastic to the bank for collection while fish and boats pass freely.
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Research
The New Plastics Economy: Rethinking the future of plastics
Ellen MacArthur Foundation and World Economic Forum | Ellen MacArthur Foundation | 2016
The report that put the circular economy for plastics on the business agenda, and led to the Global Commitment.
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Organization
The Ocean Cleanup
Rotterdam, Netherlands | Founded 2013
Develops river Interceptors to stop plastic before it reaches the sea and large ocean systems to remove plastic already floating in garbage patches.
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Organization
The Recycling Partnership
Works with US communities and companies to improve curbside recycling access, carts, education and sorting.
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Organization
Tijuana River Project
Cross-border river pollution reporting and restoration on the Tijuana River, linked to Rotary global grant proposals with RiverRecycle.
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Research
Turning off the Tap: How the world can end plastic pollution and create a circular economy
UN Environment Programme | UNEP | 2023
UNEP’s roadmap: accelerate reuse, recycling and substitution, and it estimates plastic pollution could fall by 80 percent by 2040.
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Law or Bill
UK Plastic Packaging Tax
United Kingdom | In force since April 2022
Tax on plastic packaging with less than 30 percent recycled content, in force since April 2022.
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Organization
UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
Nairobi, Kenya
Hosts the negotiations for a global plastics treaty and runs the Clean Seas campaign, which One Earth One Ocean has partnered with since 2018.
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Organization
Upstream
Champions reuse over single-use and helps cities and restaurants switch to reusable foodware.
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Law or Bill
US Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015
United States | Law since December 2015
Federal ban on plastic microbeads in rinse-off cosmetics, prompted by research that included 5 Gyres’ Great Lakes sampling.
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Law or Bill
US Save Our Seas 2.0 Act
United States | Law since December 2020
Federal law (2020) that strengthens marine debris response, funds research and supports international cooperation on ocean plastic.
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Technology
Washing machine microfibre filters
Commercial
Filters on washing machine outlets catch synthetic fibres shed by clothing before they reach wastewater and rivers.
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Law or Bill
Washington SB 5284 (Packaging and Paper EPR)
Washington, USA | Early implementation
Packaging EPR law enacted in 2025; producer registration was due in July 2026 and the program starts later this decade.
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Technology
Waste collection boats
Deployed
Slow-moving catamarans with nets collect floating plastic in harbours, estuaries and coastal waters, then bring it ashore for sorting.
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Organization
WWF: No Plastic in Nature
WWF’s global plastics programme, working on the treaty, extended producer responsibility and reuse systems.
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Organization
Zero Waste Europe
Brussels, Belgium
Brussels network helping European cities cut waste and shaping EU packaging and reuse rules.
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