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Turning Plastic Trash into Cash

Can 鈥渟ocial plastic鈥 keep the oceans clean and fight poverty too?

Picking up money - that鈥檚 what Haitian鈥檚 nicknamed a movement seeking to solve Haiti鈥檚 plastic waste problem and reduce poverty at the same time. It was started by a man who saw a glimmer of hope in the devastation wrought by the 2010 earthquake: plastic bottles were clogging the beaches and filling the oceans with rubbish. But what if you could clear up the trash, give Haitians employment, and reduce the reliance on 鈥渧irgin鈥 plastic, all at the same time? It鈥檚 a bold idea that aims to solve two of the World鈥檚 big problems 鈥 poverty and plastic in the ocean. And it all hinges on attaching social value to recycled plastic. So why aren鈥檛 more companies doing it?

Presenter: Sahar Zand
Reporter: Gemma Newby

(Image: Plastic rubbish on beach in Haiti, Credit: 大象传媒)

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