Leslie Finlay | Trash Hero World

New report unveils the limitations and wastefulness of plastic food packaging

by Leslie Finlay on 25/05/2018 No comments

A recent report by “Zero Waste Europe” and “FOE Europe” reveals that the rise in plastic food packaging in Europe is failing to reduce the continent’s growing food waste problem, and in some cases may even be fueling it.

The waste supply chain | © Friends of the Earth Europe

The study, titled Unwrapped: how throwaway plastic is failing to solve Europe’s food waste problem (and what we need to do instead), was conducted over a 10 year period between 2004 – 2014 and demonstrated that in this time, household food waste doubled to an estimated 30 million tones per year, while plastic packaging waste increased by 50%, at 15 million tonnes. According to the report, the data suggests that almost half of plastic waste is directly from food packaging.

These levels of waste are not only expensive – estimated at a €143 billion loss for the EU annually, the same amount as its annual operational budget – but are highly problematic for both waste management and the environment. Plastic packaging is often touted as a solution to avoid food waste, but this landmark study indicates exactly the opposite – plastic waste is nearly always thrown away after its first use, and levels of food waste across the region are at all-time-high levels. What’s more, the report investigated other consequences of plastic wrapping, such as the growing risk to consumers from chemical migration into the body.

Overpackaging in retail | © Friends of the Earth Europe

The problem is complex and entrenched, however, and the challenges of food waste and plastic packaging waste are best tackled together by evolving our view of plastic in the food industry. The study’s authors draw several recommendations that begin with simple acknowledgement of the issue, and revolve around changing our communal attitude to our relationships with plastic and food waste.

Actions Against Overpackaging | © Friends of the Earth Europe

Key actions recommended by the study include:

Develop a holistic, evidence-based approach to the role of plastic packaging in the food system
Policymakers must review legislation to assess and address gaps
Use market-based instruments to prompt behavioral change
Provide greater investment and funding for waste prevention systems

While high-level action can guide the way, tackling the problem of waste in our everyday lives is up to individual choice and action. Households can change their purchasing and consumption behaviors and implement reusable approaches to food preservation, and choose to purchase groceries and other items from responsible and environmentally-minded businesses.

Promoting alternatives | © Friends of the Earth Europe

Check out the full report, available here in Danish, Spanish, English, French, and German to learn more about this groundbreaking study and what its authors believe is the best way forward.

Trash Hero Saba Teaching the Heroes of Tomorrow Through Illustration

by Leslie Finlay on 17/04/2018 No comments

Experts have agreed for years that kids learn material differently than adults, and they also insist that how a child is educated bears great impact on his or her understanding of the world, shaping behaviours that will stay with a person throughout his or her life.

Trash Hero Saba has been working to fully engage its hero children from the classroom to the beaches.

In Saba, Indonesia, the local Trash Heroes have launched an innovative new program aimed at educating the local kids about how to responsibly manage trash in their communities, especially plastic waste, driving an overall message of zero-waste living.

Wayan Aksara’s team has developed a series of comic-style cartoons they release online, free for download and use. Wayan says that the comics are designed as supplementary materials for parents and elementary school teachers as a way to instill lifelong sustainable behaviours among the next generation of heroes in a more fun and interesting way.

Wayan Aksara says that new original comics created by his team will be posted on the group’s Facebook page, available for free to parents and educators alike.

Check out the Trash Hero Saba Facebook page and its partner BALIAN to follow the comic creations from the team, and let us know what creative, innovative ways your local community engages its heroes!

Koh Lanta Gets Creative with Upcycling

by Leslie Finlay on 02/04/2018 1 comment

Many countries around the world have banned the use of polystyrene – also commonly known as styrofoam – because of its extremely negative environmental impact.

For years the material was a popular packaging for food items, electronics, furniture, and disposables because of its light weight, low expense, and wide availability. However, the material is essentially non-biodegradable meaning it can take hundreds or even thousands of years to decompose, and can also easily break apart into little bits that are ingested by animals and sea life. What’s more, both the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) have classified polystyrene as a possible human carcinogen.

Polystyrene is one of the most difficult nonrenewable materials to responsibly dispose of. Its light weight and bulkiness means it easily travels around via wind or waves.

In 2016, the Thai Office of Consumer Protection Board (OCPB) launched its Safety Without Polystyrene Foam in Food Packaging project to encourage the domestic food industry to quit using the product in its packaging. The government has also been open to discussions about subsidizing more sustainable alternatives for vendors like cardboard. The subsequent reduction nationwide has been dramatic in some areas, but our Trash Heroes continue to collect vast amounts of the discarded material washing up on the beach. The point source is almost impossible to estimate, as winds can waves can easily carry the lightweight chunks over hundreds of kilometers of ocean.

Trash Hero Koh Lanta meets every Sunday at 4:00PM at Long Beach park to preserve this stunning paradise.

Even when collected polystyrene is incredibly difficult to dispose of responsibly, especially considering that it’s usually quite bulky. So our heroes on Koh Lanta rose to the challenge and found this creative way to up-cycle the waste while making ultra-cosy bean bag chairs for lounging around after an afternoon clean!

With a little ingenuity and creative spirit, the team built this polystyrene shredder that easily breaks those large chunks down into useable pieces perfect for stuffing plush bean bag chairs. It’s a great answer to taking a local challenge and turning it into a cheap, new indulgence for their paradise.

Trash Hero Koh Lanta developed a polystyrene crusher to help dispose of the chunks they collect during cleanups, and create awesome new additions to their beachfront!

While these awesome methods help manage our waste in the present, the best option is to always aim to reduce our single-use waste in our everyday lives. Shop for items that aren’t wrapped in plastic and carry your own reusable containers and cutlery to limit the need for single-use takeaway items. It’s these small changes on the individual level that can help us all ensure a beautiful future.

What local waste challenges does your community face, and what sort of ways have you found to manage it?

Mein Trash Walk Durch Israel

by Leslie Finlay on 25/03/2018 No comments

/// BILD 1

Meine erste Begegnung mit Trash Hero hatte ich in Thailand, wo ich bei diversen Clean Ups mitgeholfen habe. Diese Bewegung hat mich dermassen inspiriert, dass ich auf meinen Trails wie z.B. dem Pacific Crest Trail in den USA, der herumliegende Abfall zusammengesammelt habe. So auch auf dem Israel National Trail, wovon ich euch heute von meiner besonderen Reise – meinem Trash Walk quer durch Israel berichte.

Der Israel National Trail zählt zu den zehn schönsten Fernwanderwegen der Welt. Mehrere tausend Wanderer und Pilger begeben sich jährlich auf diesen Pfad um die Schönheit und Stille des Landes zu geniessen. So wie auch ich, ausgestattet mit Wanderschuhen, einem Rucksack und: Abfallsäcken! Denn dieser Trail sollte nicht nur eine Bereicherung für mich werden, sondern auch für die Natur, welche mir überhaupt dieses Erlebnis ermöglichte.

Und so startete ich mein Abenteuer in Tel Aviv.

Stefanie Waser hiked 800km along The Israel National Trail, collecting 36 bags of trash.

/// BILD 2-4

Mich überraschte die Menge des Abfalls. Je näher man an ein Stadtgebiet kam, desto mehr häufte sich der Müll. Mir wurde schnell klar, dass ich nicht den ganzen Abfall auf dem Trash Walk mitnehmen konnte. So musste ich mich auf einen Abfallsack pro Tag beschränken.

/// BILD 5

Gewisse Hinterlassenschaften waren jedoch schlichtweg zu schwer und sperrig für meinen Abfallsack und musste ich schweren Herzens zurücklassen.

Stefanie unfortunately realised she would be unable to collect everything she encountered, so limited herself to filling one bag per day.

/// BILD 6-7

Auf dem Mount Tabor, eine einst berühmte vorchristliche Kultstätte der Antike, ging ich den Plastikflaschen an den Kragen. Gesamthaft 34 PET-Flaschen wanderten in meinen Abfallsack.

Mount Tabor is an important site to both Jewish and Christian texts. In spite of efforts by the country over the last 100 years to restore the area’s lush pine forests, Stefanie encountered heaps of rubbish discarded by visitors.

/// BILD 8-12

Der See Genezareth ist mit 212 m unter dem Meeresspiegel der tiefstgelegene Süsswassersee der Erde und scheinbar ein beliebter Picknickort auf dem Trail. Plastikteller und –besteck, welche praktisch bei jedem Einkauf automatisch ausgehändigt werden, füllten meinen Trash Hero Bag.

/// BILD 13-15

Vom tiefstgelegensten Süsswassersee zum höchsten Berg innerhalb der international anerkannten Grenzen, dem Mount Meron (1208 müM): Der Abfall ist der Gleiche.

/// BILD 16

Not macht erfinderisch. Ich erleichterte mir die Müllsammlung mit einer Grillzange.

/// BILD 17

Der Norden ist geschafft! 200km und 14 Abfallsäcke später erreichte ich die kleine Siedlung Kibbutz Dan. Im Süden, in der Wüste, erwartete mich weitaus weniger Müll. Dies ganz zu meinem Glück, da ich bereits viel Gewicht mit gefüllten Wasserflaschen bei mir trug.

Stefanie combines her passions: hiking and preserving the world’s natural beauty.

/// BILD 18-20

Nach über 800 intensiven Kilometern und 36 gefüllten Abfallsäcken blicke ich auf meinen Trash Walk im malerischen Israel zurück und wünsche mir für die Schönheit des Landes, dass es künftig von herumliegenden Abfall etwas verschont bleibt.

“Denn dieser Trail sollte nicht nur eine Bereicherung für mich werden, sondern auch für die Natur, welche mir überhaupt dieses Erlebnis ermöglichte.” – Stefanie Wasser

My Trash Walk Through Israel

by Leslie Finlay on 25/03/2018 No comments

Stafanie Waser first encountered the Trash Hero movement while in Thailand, where she participated in various cleanups. An avid hiker, Stefanie began to collect trash whenever she was hiking, from the Pacific Crest Trail in the US to her most recent effort conquering The Israeli National Trail – rated as among the 10 most beautiful long-distance hike in the world extending from the Lebanese border to the North all the way to the Southern tip of Israel along the Red Sea. During her 800 kilometer trek, Stefanie encountered the beauty and quiet of this extensive and expansive route through the country, which attracts thousands of hikers and pilgrims annually, and she shared her story with us.

Stefanie is an inspiration of how we can all practice sustainable and restorative activities in our everyday activities – whether those activities include a quick walk across a parking lot to the store or tackling some of the most beautiful scenery on Earth.

/// BILD 1

My adventure began in Tel Aviv.

Stefanie Waser hiked 800km along The Israel National Trail, collecting 36 bags of trash.

/// BILD 2-4

I was completely taken aback by the amount of trash I encountered. The closer you got to the city area, the more trash you saw. It quickly became evident to me that I would not be able to gather all the trash on my Trash Walk. I decided to limit myself to one trash bag per day.

Stefanie unfortunately realised she would be unable to collect everything she encountered, so limited herself to filling one bag per day.

/// BILD 5

Various items were simply too heavy or bulky to pack into a trash bag, and had to be left behind unfortunately.

/// BILD 6-7

On Mount Tabor, one of the most famous pre-Christian sites of worship of ancient times, I decided to go up against the plastic bottles. A total of 34 PET-bottles wandered into my trash bag.

Mount Tabor is an important site to both Jewish and Christian texts. In spite of efforts by the country to

/// BILD 8-12

Lake Genezareth at 212m below sea level is the lowest-lying freshwater lake of the world and obviously a very popular picnic spot on the trail. Plastic plates and cutlery, which are distributed with any purchase for free, is what I filled up my trash bag with there.

Millions of tones of single-use plastic items are thrown away every year. Even if heroes like Stefanie pick them up, there is nowhere for them to go. We can remedy this by refusing single-use plastic items like cutlery and cups, and carrying our own, reusable versions.

/// BILD 13-15

From the lowest-lying freshwater lake to the highest mountain within the internationally acknowledged border, Mount Meron stands at 1208m elevation: The trash is the same.

/// BILD 16

Necessity is the mother of invention. I made my trash-collecting life easier thanks to a barbecue tong.

/// BILD 17

The North accomplished! 200km and 14 trash bags later I reached the small settlement Kibbutz Dan. In the south, in the desert I was met by far less trash. That was just as well, as I was quite weighed down already by the water bottles I was carrying.

Stefanie combines her passions: hiking and preserving the world’s natural beauty.

/// BILD 18-20

After more than 800 intense kilometers and 36 filled trash bags I completed my journey. Looking back now on my Trash Walk in scenic Israel I can say that I hope that in the interest of this beautiful part of the world, trash can be avoided as much as possible going forward.

“This trail was not intended to be just an enrichment to me alone, but should also be preserved for future hikers.”- Stefanie Waser

The Whale Company Paddles with Trash Heroes

by Leslie Finlay on 02/03/2018 No comments

The Whale Company is a conservation organization started by two passionate conservationists who wanted to connect their love for the ocean with an inspirational message about sustainability.

Carolyn and Carlos spent 2017 paddling their way through 12 Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) marathons on their own, handmade Bottle Boards. The boards are entirely constructed of plastic bottles and other recycled materials, and through their use The Whale Company seeks to raise awareness of plastic pollution in the world’s oceans.

During the last few months, they’ve traveled around Thailand visiting Trash Hero chapters and running workshop to teach communities how to build SUP boards out of plastic bottles. The process is surprisingly easy and the boards are incredibly durable – they lasted through marathon events, after all.

Courtesy of The Koh Tao International Primary School

The Whale Company hopes to see more people up-cycling to create useful and ergonomic products, and instill a love for the marine environment among the upcoming generation of kids. They also produce a line called “Whalebags” and “Whaletreads,” that focuses on organic, reusable products, and even includes flip flops made out of recycled tires.

The organization plans to release a full tutorial detailing how to make its boards free for anyone to follow, so stay tuned for updates from their Facebook page.

Courtesy of The Whale Company

Trash Hero Expands to 52 Chapters Globally

by Leslie Finlay on 22/02/2018 No comments

It’s true that not all heroes wear capes. In fact, many of them wear yellow – more than 63,000 of them to be exact!

Until the end of 2017, 52 Trash Hero chapters around the world rallied 63,098 volunteers who removed more than 408,137 kilograms of waste from our beaches, waterways, and communities. Reports estimate that most of this debris would inevitably find its way to the ocean, where it accumulates en masse and is much more difficult to remove from the environment. Much of this waste our heroes removed is plastic, which scientists agree never truly degrades but fragments into smaller and smaller bits, sustaining within the world’s ecosystems for thousands of years. Plastic of any size can be ingested by wildlife, killing the animal or cycling chemicals into the food chain.

That’s why our Trash Heroes didn’t stop at participating in 2,459 cleanups, but made active efforts to live a more sustainable, zero-waste lifestyle that eliminates trash from entering the ecosystem in the first place. More than 44,900 reusable water bottles were sold at over 256 participating businesses, saving an estimated 16-million single-use plastic bottles; 5,400 Trash Hero reusable bags were also sold, reducing single-use plastic bag use by at least 540,000 by some estimates.

Our heroes also spoke at three TEDx Talks around the world, relaying their own stories about the impact of waste in their communities and the importance of moving toward a waste-free lifestyle. Trash Hero is committed to active waste management and removal, but our mission encompasses the importance of education – spreading the attitude of sustainability. In fact, about 14,206 of our heroes in 2017 were kids, whose involvement is an enormous bright spot and the key to a cleaner future.

Talking trash in Yangon | Phone Kyaw Moe Myint | TEDxYangon

All in all, 2017 was an exciting year for us! Will you be joining the yellow-shirted heroes this year? Get in touch to find out how!

A breakdown of our 2017 numbers:

52 active chapters in 9 countries – Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar, USA, Czech Republic, Switzerland, China, Singapore
63,098 heroes attended 2,459 cleanups, removing 208,137 kilograms of trash from the environment
14,206 of those heroes were kids
44,900 reusable bottles were sold at 256 participating businesses – this means that more than 16 million plastic bottles were not produced
5,400 Trash Hero reusable bags were sold, keeping 540,000 single-use plastic bags out of the environment
Speakers at 3 TEDx Talks spread the philosophy of sustainability and zero-waste to their communities at large

THANK YOU to all of our incredible heroes, and we hope to see you in 2018!

Trash Hero Indonesia Joins Zero Waste Indonesia 2020 Movement at National Jamboree

by Leslie Finlay on 19/01/2018 No comments

Last November, Greeneration Indonesia hosted the 4th annual National Zero Waste Jamboree 2017 in Banda Aceh. By participating in this jamboree, Trash Hero Indonesia is now listed as national movement that is supported by the Indonesian government.

“We are citizens of countries, but we are also citizens of the world,” said Trash Hero Rima Agustina, reflecting on the message of unity at the event. “Waste is not only a regional or national problem, but also world problem, as waste doesn’t recognize any political borders. Trash Hero Indonesia introduces the concept of collaboration between local people, local government, and volunteers from all over the world to create a better environment.”

Focus group discussion at the National Zero Waste Jamboree 2017 in Banda Aceh.

The event was held November 10-12 in coordination with Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Ministry of Maritime Affair and Fisheries, Ministry for Human Development and Cultural Affairs, Ministry of Public Works and Housing, and Ministry of Health of Indonesia. The 289 zero waste activists all over Indonesia gathered to share news and experience, and meet with government representatives. The event facilitated momentum of important stakeholders in the country to network and to collaborate to find sustainable solutions of waste problems in Indonesia.

At the end of the jamboree, all the participants read out loud The Declaration of Zero Waste Indonesia 2020:

“As an effort to provide the better environment for the future generations, we, Indonesian citizens determine to realize the target of Zero Waste Indonesia 2020.

Together we are ready to:

Reduce, separate, and put the waste in the proper place.
Responsibly manage our own waste.
Actively participate in waste management activities held by Indonesian government.”

To complete the trip Trash Hero Indonesia conducted a clean up at Lampu Ulee Kareng Beach, Banda Aceh, a day after the jamboree finished. Some new heroes came to participate and share some fun time at the beach and learned more about the Trash Hero movement. This kind of curiosity and collaboration is how new chapters are born!

Clean up at Lampu Ulee Kareng Beach, Banda Aceh – one of the places hit by the tsunami in 2004.

Trash Hero Koh Samui: A Growing Community

by Leslie Finlay on 14/01/2018 2 comments

One of the most impressive abilities of our Trash Hero leaders is their talent for collaborating and uniting an entire community against unnecessary waste, across cultures, languages, businesses, and a number of other interests. Last month, Trash Hero Koh Samui hosted a community-wide event to further network the organization alongside like-minded interests on the island and make way for an even more productive 2018.

Their goal is to bring community members together to educate all about recycling, waste-free living, and the dangers posed by trash. Full community involvement increases opportunities for effective clean-ups and fundraising to invest in initiatives like reusable bottles, bags, and water refill stations. Trash Hero Samui is also working to increase involvement of local students, including those from the International School of Samui (ISS), to empower them to assume leadership roles driving the cleaning and sustainability of their local communities.

In spite of inclement weather and heavy rains, more than 200 people joined to clean an area of Hua Thanon, including the Mayor of Koh Samui, representatives from major businesses and the Army, members of other local organizations like Samui Clean, and many Thai schools.

The Trash Hero Kids Book: On to Phase 2!

by Leslie Finlay on 08/12/2017 No comments

With your generous support, we have made it through the first stage of our project! Reaching the 8000 euro target means we can now CONFIRM that the Trash Hero Kids book will be printed, distributed and taught to kids in Thailand and Indonesia.

Now we aim to extend the project’s impact to include even more kids! Since starting the project, we have had interest from our teams in Myanmar and Malaysia to create local language versions of the project, as well as requests for more books in Thailand.

We still have a few more days to take this project even further. So let’s keep this momentum and continue to raise funds so your contribution has even more impact!

The Trash Hero Kids Book is a story and activity book with a powerful call to take action on plastic waste in the environment. Children will be inspired and challenged to change their behaviour, and receive incentives like the coveted Trash Hero T-shirt as a reward.

The book and shirt package will be distributed free to children in Southeast Asia, where plastic pollution is reaching critical proportions. Awareness of the issue in Southeast Asia remains low, and education is limited or not put into practice. Children are taught “don’t litter” at school, but don’t seem to make any connection between these words and their everyday habits. The real life consequences of plastic leakage are rarely explored; and there are no positive role models or clear paths to drive behaviour change.

The labour and skills overheads for this project – like all Trash Hero projects – is ZERO. Our dedicated volunteers have already prepared the book and its translations; and more volunteers in our local chapters stand ready to oversee the distribution and activities.
That means that every single Euro you donate will be spent on creating the physical products to put into the hands of children.

Contributions can be made at either of these sites:

https://www.100-days.net/…/projekt/trashhero-children-s-bookor https://www.paypal.me/TrashHeroWorld

Help us make our holiday dreams come true and reach even more kids!