Features | Trash Hero World

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 Kid’s Book: Meet the Illustrator!

by Leslie Finlay on 29/11/2017 No comments

We have almost two thirds of our target funds to produce our #trashherokids book! Thank you to all who have donated so far. Not donated yet? Take that small step now: https://www.100-days.net/en/projekt/trashhero-children-s-book

Many people have commented on the beautiful illustrations in the book and indeed, we chose our artist for her evocative, sensitive treatment of the story, rather than the cartoon style so often seen in children’s environmental stories.

Here, we want to share with you Ewelina’s own story of how she came to the project.

*DREAMS COME TRUE*

“This project is very important to me, it’s very close to my heart, so I want to tell you the story how it all started for me. Maybe later you will become a part of the project too :).

I’m in love with nature, underwater life or forests are sacred for me. But these places are in danger.

Once I was swimming on the coral reefs and I saw an amazing, impressive giant blue starfish. I swam just a bit further and something blue took my attention again. I expected to see another beautiful animal, but what I found was just a blue plastic bag. Oh my, it was such a sad view. At moment like this you just want to cry. You are aware you are in such amazing world, but this world will disappear if we do not care enough.

After this experience I had a very specific dream – I dreamed about picking up trash in Bali!

In the beginning I felt little ashamed to tell it to anyone, my mom could have said “Hey kid, you should do bigger things than collecting trash!”. So I kept it secret for a while 😉

One year later I decided to move to Bali and it was the best time to realise the dream!

But of course I would feel awkward to do this alone. So I was ready to write an advertisement to find other crazy people to join me in this adventure. Then I found out about Trash Hero! First we were only three people, but after few months the group grew bigger, even kids from local schools were involved.

When I returned to Poland, a dear Balinese friend told me that Trash Hero World had the idea how to explain other kids why it’s important to take care of our world, and they looked for an illustrator. I applied for the contest. I wanted to take part in a project that is so close to my heart. I love this world and I want to make it better.

Together with Trash Hero we have prepared a wonderful, very inspiring book that stimulates the sensitivity of children to the surrounding world. I believe this book is giving important lessons of loving our planet and has to reach all children all over the globe, starting in Asia.”

Ewelina Wajgert is a Polish graphic artist, who graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk. Follow Ewelina here: https://www.facebook.com/wajgert/

#togetherwemakeadifference

How to Live Sustainably: Look for Microplastics

by Leslie Finlay on 12/11/2017 1 comment

Did you know that you might be accidentally flushing plastic into the environment every time you brush your teeth?

These tiny ocean invaders, called microplastics, are small bits of polyethylene plastic added to many health and beauty products. They replace traditionally sustainable exfoliants because of cost and ease of manufacturing.

Source: The Science Explorer

The problem is that these microplastics easily pass through filtration systems and ultimately wind up in the ocean or other water sources. There, they eaten by animals and quickly and travel up the food chain through bioaccumulation, even into our food sources.

The good news is that this is a pretty easy problem for us to fix together simply by understanding what is in the products that we buy. When choosing personal care products, look for one of the five signatory ingredients:

Polyethylene (PE)
Polypropylene (PP)
Polythylene terephthalate (PET)
Polymethy methcrylate (PMMA)
Nylon

It’s simple. Choose products that do not contain any of these ingredients and know that you’re keeping a little more plastic from entering the environment!

To make matters even easier, there’s a free App available in many countries (and counting!) called Beat the Microbead. Developed by the North Sea Foundation and the Plastic Soup Foundation, the App can scan a product’s barcode to check if microbeads are included in its production. Beat the Microbead also offers product lists by country to help you identify and choose products that do not contain microplastics.

Come Join The Trash Isles!

by Leslie Finlay on 22/10/2017 16 comments

This month, UN spokesman for the UN’s Secretary-General Stéphane Dujarric was granted a certificate of honorary citizenship to an area that hopes to become the world’s 196^th nation – the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, or formally known today as The Trash Isles. He’ll join the ranks of other citizens like Al Gore (the first applicant) and actress Judi Dench.

Source: LADbible

The movement to designate the France-sized garbage patch as its own nation was spurred by advocates from the Plastics Oceans Foundation and UK-based entertainment company LADbible. Today it boasts its own flag, passport, currency (appropriately called ‘debris’), and more than 140,000 “citizens” from countries spanning the globe, making The Trash Isles the 25^th-smallest country in the world.

The “country” hopes to be the latest member to the United Nations. As a member-country, the other 193 UN nations would be compelled to help clean up the new nation per the UN’s charter.

Source: LADbible

The Trash Isles itself is actually a massive soup of floating microplastics, which renders it incredibly tricky to clean up and severely dangerous to the ecosystem. Through bioaccumulation, these microplastics have a good chance of winding up in our food supply, harming marine life along the way.

The campaign, and its vast multinational participation, draws attention to the enormity of our waste problem and the fact that it is our collective responsibility to mitigate and remedy it.

So what can you do?

We can stop adding to the problem by limiting our use of single-use plastics and employing sustainable alternatives, like Trash Hero bottles and bags.
Pick up trash in your community, either on your own or find a cleanup in your area.
Separate your trash. Recycle what is possible for your area, and find ways to use items that are non-recyclable. Ecobricks provide one solution for plastic waste, or up-cycle items to use for art, furniture, even stand-up paddle boards!
Encourage others to also develop sustainable habits.
Start a local Trash Hero chapter to establish enduring, consistent change at your local level.

Through this collective behavioral change we can keep this new nation from growing in size.

To help raise further awareness, “apply for citizenship” of The Trash Isles here.

Let’s Get Plastic Off the Menu

by Leslie Finlay on 07/10/2017 No comments

This week, Malta hosted the annual EU-backed “Our Ocean 2017” conference to support measures to improve ocean health. This year’s discussion revolved heavily around the necessity to reduce plastic waste from entering the marine environment.Prince Charles of the UK delivered the opening speech urging for the movement away from a “throw-away, convenience lifestyle” that dumps more than eight million tonnes of plastic into the ocean every year.

“We are very close to reaching the point when whatever wild-caught fish you eat will contain plastic. Plastic is indeed now on the menu,” he said.

While policy-making and inter-governmental cooperation are of paramount importance, change can begin today among all of us. Trash Heroes globally pledge the commitment to break the cycle of single-use plastic like bags, bottles, straws, cutlery, and other everyday items.

Trash Hero’s Bottles and Bags program is expanding across many participating countries, substantially reducing the amount of plastic bottles and bags that end up on the beaches, in the sea, and in our communities. Just one reusable water bottle or bag can save huge amounts of plastic from winding up in the environment.

Trash Hero’s goal is to distribute 115,000 bottles through 500 participating businesses in 30 locations worldwide within the next three years, and 150 business distribute 51,000 reusable bags. This initiative can save an estimated 41 million plastic bottles and 5.1 million plastic bags from being used.

Want to buy a reusable bottle or bag or learn how to become a participating business? Get in touch to find out how!

Meet our Heroes – A Cleanup in Greece

by Leslie Finlay on 04/09/2017 No comments

Stephan, Claudia and Julia were on holiday on the Greek peninsula of Sithonia this summer. From a distance, the scenery was breathtaking – a lush green paradise flanked by crystal blue waters. But the isles face the same problem coastlines globally struggle with – an unmanageable influx of waste.

When sharing his story with us, Stephan said that the human impact was clear and troubling.

“The people there put all their purchases in small plastic bags, and you will encounter these bags all over again. There is so much other waste like cardboard, tire, metal, beercans etc.,” he said. “When talking to the people about it, you realize that they are not sensitive to it and interpret it as if it was always like this. They are accustomed to it.”

He continues to describe his experience and how he decided to take action, rather than just accept the waste as reality.

“Our house-beach where we swam every day was in Vourvourou. It is a small, sheltered bay with lots of sand and shallow ground. The garbage flooded from the other side of the bay directly into the beach and was caught there. In the water were many small plastic parts, like ice cream or chip packs and other foods. This waste often comes from the people who are traveling there by boat. Again and again we have found trash on the beach, which came from everywhere. When we were snorkeling with our diving masks, we noticed that there is also a lot of waste on the seabed.

On the third day, we had the idea to collect the garbage together on the beach and by diving in the sea. We used our air-matress as a stationary garbage collector and we dived around in the bay for one hour. We even found a cartire. The landlord from whom we rented our apartment, was excited about our clean-up. This is typically Swiss, he said.

We want to show the world that there is a lot of waste in many places and near the sea, and it does not belong there. We will not be able to clean up Greece completely, but we want to show the world how little it takes to make it cleaner and we like to encourage everybody to do the same everywehere. We could not collect much trash, but a little is also a lot for the world.

So when you see garbage in the sea, take a bag and take it away. All childrens of this world will be thanksful that they can still swim in 100 years and of course also the fishes!

The future says “Thank you!”

No matter how big or small your contribution, every small action taken makes a difference. It’s only through heroes like Stephan, Claudia and Julia that we can realize a reality of a waste-free world.

It Only Takes One Hero to Make an Impact – From Bali Beaches & Beyond

by Leslie Finlay on 29/08/2017 No comments

Esther Thomet recently attended the National Geographic Student Expedition, a student travel program run through various locations around the world that aims to inspire and educate middle school and high school students.

While in Tulamben in Northeastern Bali, a representative from Trash Hero introduced the student group to the organization before they took to the beaches to help clean alongside local Balinese children. During the presentation, Esther said that the group was shown video of a sea turtle with a straw up its nose.

“I cried because it was devastating to watch the harmful human influence on nature,” she said. “I knew then that I wanted to help.”

While she participated locally, the spirit of Trash Hero instilled within Esther long after her trip. She said that the strongest part of Trash Hero’s message is not only that they actively clean and conserve, but they are teaching others in the process.

“From a single beach cleanup and small lesson I learned what kinds of plastics to look out for and where they are commonly hidden, how to help prevent the use of plastics in everyday activities, and what affects we will have on the ocean, and world in general, if we continue to use plastic at this rate,” she said.

Education of this sort is lasting and far-reaching, and inspires others, like Esther, that they can make a difference.

“I wanted to go home and fundraise because I was very inspired by the thought that someone like me could make an impact,” Esther said. “I wanted to spread Trash Hero’s message to my friends and family.”

Returning home, Esther coordinated donations totaling $500 for Trash Hero World, in the process living up to Trash Hero’s message of education and inspiration, eager to share what she had learned with others and incorporate changes into her everyday life.

“The trip mainly changed the way I view the world,” Esther said. “I am very conscious about how much trash I am producing, how to limit my trash production, and how to make others aware about how they can get involved and help as well.”

Collaboration and togetherness are the clear keys to transformative progress. For other aspiring heroes, Esther believes that by remembering the reasons for why we work for a passion, we can achieve anything.

“I once had a teacher who told me that it doesn’t matter what career or life path I choose, as long as I do so with pride, dedication, and hope for the future,” she said.