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World Refill Day: How you can have an impact

by Lydia on 16/06/2022 No comments

Plastic production is increasing, how can we – as concerned citizens- change this? We want to inspire you to make small changes and demand bigger ones so that globally we have a meaningful impact.

This World Refill Day (June 16th) we’re taking a closer look at refill and reuse and discovering why they are the key to reducing plastic pollution. We’ll share what we’ve been doing to support refill and show you how you can also make an impact with your actions. We’ll show you how to encourage the support of businesses who are providing refills, motivate you to examine the way products are sold and ultimately inspire you to integrate more refillables into your household and routine.

So why do we need to refill?

Currently, 380 million tonnes of plastics are produced each year ¹_, over half of which are single-use plastics ² . Around 9% of this plastic gets recycled, with less than 2% being effectively recycled³. The rest is littered, landfilled, burned or shipped around the world for someone else to deal with. The sheer volume of waste being generated means even improved recycling is not a practical solution – even if plastic manufacturers would like us to think it is.

The only solution that we know works is to reduce the amount of plastic being produced, especially single-use plastic. Refill and reuse of containers and packaging is one of the easiest and most efficient ways to reduce the amount of plastic needed in the world. Making refill the norm can start at an individual level and then must be supported by the local business community, government infrastructure and eventually by big consumer goods companies.

The benefits of refill are not just limited to reducing plastic waste in the environment. Reducing plastic also has a positive climate impact by reducing CO2 emissions. Plastic production and use currently accounts for around 4% of global carbon emissions, more than the entire airline industry. Integrating more refills into your routine will also have a positive impact on your wallet. Refilling as much as you need rather than buying pre-packaged amounts often works out cheaper, as does refilling drinking water. Many businesses also offer discounts for people who bring their own containers for takeaway food and drink.

So what can I do as an individual?

Make refilling a habit

Think about your daily routine – where do you eat lunch? What items do you regularly buy in single-use plastic? Then try and find ways in which you can swap the single-use for reuse or refill.

The simplest way is to switch to a reusable water bottle. If you already own one, you can encourage others to do the same!

There are many places that offer free water refills, especially in countries where you can drink from the tap. Even in those where you can’t, local refill networks such as the one created by Trash Hero (see below) often exist to help people stay hydrated while avoiding single-use plastic.

To see the impact you have when using a refillable water bottle you can use our free Bottle Impact Calculator. Share your results online to inspire others – and don’t forget to tag us @trashheroworld!

It’s not just water bottles

Let’s remember, It’s not just water bottles that can be refilled and reused! You can bring your own reusable cups and containers at many takeaway places and markets and more and more stores are offering refills of day-to-day essentials such as toiletries, cleaning products and groceries.

Even without a local refill store you can still take action: try a reusable container for your lunch (home made or takeaway) and a thermos for your coffee. You don’t necessarily need to buy anything new to start this, there are things in our houses that will do the job! Old takeaway containers are great to reuse for a packed lunch and old jam jars are perfect for home-made instant noodles – there are endless options and ideas out there! Have a look through your cupboards and see what can be repurposed for your refill journey.

reusable plates, world refill day — Reusable plates – Trash Hero Indonesia Family Meeting

refillable pots, world refill day — Reusable plates – Trash Hero Indonesia Family Meeting

Start a conversation

Talking about refill and how easy it is helps to make the idea accessible and normal for people around you. Make it your aim to research as many places as possible in your local community that allow you to bring your own container for purchases, or ask your friends and neighbours if they have any recommendations for water refills or other reuse tips. Share your findings with your network so that others are encouraged to try.

If there isn’t currently any refill store in your area, maybe there is a friendly local business that you can approach. Try bringing your own cup or container and start a discussion or brainstorm ways in which they could trial refills in their stores. A conversation is the first step to changing behaviour and consumer feedback is extremely powerful.

Support businesses that care

As we’ve mentioned, your feedback as a consumer holds power. This isn’t just about refusing single-use plastic in bigger stores, but supporting those businesses that are offering refills. Be sure to tell them you love what they do, share their sites on social media and encourage others to go there too.

A great resource for refill and reuse programmes is the Living Landscape of Reduse Solutions database – it provides fantastic information about the different ways refill works to eliminate waste, as well as an up-to-date list of refill and reuse providers. You can use it for research or submit your favourite store to their database.

Demand change

It is important to remember that refill is not a new idea. In fact, not so long ago refill was the norm in most countries. For example, products such as milk and soft drinks were delivered in refillable glass bottles. It’s easy to revive these systems and even improve them with new technology and materials.

Whenever you hear a company talking about more or better recycling, remind them and those around you that the real solution is to reduce and reuse / refill. Only when they realise people understand the link between their products and pollution and climate change will they change their packaging and delivery systems.

It may feel overwhelming at times, but together we have the power to demand change and show commitment to that change in our daily habits and purchases.

So what are Trash Hero doing about refills?

The Trash Hero bottle refill programme offers a safe and affordable alternative to single-use plastic bottles. We provide stainless steel water bottles at cost price to local businesses, who then sell them on and provide free drinking water refills to any bottle owner. We have a network of more than 700 refill points, predominantly in Southeast Asia, but also in Czech Republic. A study looked at the impact of refilling the Trash Hero bottle alongside the equivalent number of single-use plastic water bottles and concluded: ‘As a direct comparison between packaging systems, the Trash Hero reusable bottle reduces your [CO2 emissions] by around 95% vs. single-use plastic.’ ⁴ To date, we have sold 102,470 bottles and estimate that 37 million plastic bottles have been avoided as a result of the programme.⁵

Another Trash Hero refill project saw us partner with Swiss cosmetics company, Schnarwiler AG, to launch a range of refillable beauty products with 100% natural ingredients. Essential items such as hand and body soap, shampoo, conditioner and body lotion are packaged in recycled glass bottles and refilled in local stores from bulk containers that are also washed and reused. Since the project started in 2018, the refill network has grown to 84 outlets and 11 hotels, including a popular national chain store, demonstrating that such projects can be implemented on a large scale. It is estimated that 52,882 plastic bottles (200ml) have been avoided thanks to refill.

We’d love to hear from you about your refill journey. Any great refill or reuse ideas that you’ve found helpful? Any stores in your area that you want people to know about? Share in the comments below or tag us on social media!

Footnotes and references:

Growing Plastic Plants: Microplastics in Agriculture

by Lydia on 06/06/2022 No comments

Plastic coming into contact with our food has been a source of concern for many years, but it would seem the contamination starts much earlier than the final packaging

It is common knowledge that microplastics pose a serious threat to environmental and human health. Not only have microplastics been found in our drinking water, food supply and even the air we breathe, but recent studies have also found microplastics in human blood and lung tissue (you can read more about that here). Their presence in the cosmetic industry has been exposed and many countries have introduced, or are working to introduce, microplastics bans in cosmetic products such as toothpastes and face washes. However, something that has not been much discussed is the presence of plastic and microplastics in the agricultural industry. The Centre for International Environmental Law (CIEL) recently published a report on the role of microplastics in agriculture, and the information is concerning.

The use of plastic is visibly prevalent in agriculture – it is used to cover crops, package products, and construct greenhouses and landscaping. This use of plastic is obvious and clear for everyone to see. However, what is not so obvious is that microplastics are being intentionally used as part of the fertilisation process.

Marketed as being key to sustainable and ‘climate friendly’ agriculture, fertilisers are coated in microplastics to help control their release once in the soil. This is achieved through microencapsulation, the process of wrapping a nutrient or chemical in a synthetic polymer material (a form of plastic) to create a small pellet. Controlled-release fertilisers (CRFs) use these coatings to slowly release their contents over a longer period of time. The coatings remain in the soil once the fertiliser has been released and does not degrade. The toxins they contain accumulate in the soil, ready to be absorbed by the crops, or leaked into the air and water supply

This CRF technology is not new – it was introduced in 1970 ⁶ – but recently producers have been strongly pushing its use as a ‘planet-safe option’. No mention is made in the new-style marketing of the impact on the soil and food chain; instead they claim greater efficiency, without any solid data to back this up. In fact, according to the CIEL report, these plastic-coated fertilisers are unnecessary. There are effective and more climate-friendly alternatives that exist, methods that reduce the use of synthetic (fossil- fuel- based) pesticides and fertilisers altogether

How much microplastic is being used?

It will likely come as a surprise to hear that it is not the cosmetics industry that is responsible for the majority of primary microplastics currently being used (primary microplastics are microplastics that are intentionally produced, secondary microplastics are those that come from plastic breaking down). In a 2019 report from the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) it was found that microplastics intentionally added to fertilisers, pesticides and seed coatings accounted for an estimated half of the 51,500 tonnes of microplastics used each year in the European Economic Area (EEA). They estimated that 22,500 tonnes were used in fertilisers and 500 tonnes used in pesticides ⁷. These numbers show that, within the EEA, the agricultural sector uses more microplastics than any other industry.

Not only are they using more microplastics than any other industry, but these microplastics are being placed directly into the natural environment, affecting our health as well as that of the fauna and flora worldwide.

How do microplastics impact us?

These plastic-coated agrochemicals directly introduce microplastics into the environment and potentially into our food supply. Even prior to being coated in plastic, there are risks to the environment and our health from using synthetic fertilisers and pesticides – much like plastic itself they are derived from oil and gas and are seen as some of the most harmful and toxic substances used globally.⁸

Some of the health concerns from microplastic exposure include: increased cancer risk, cellular mutations or cell death, heart disease, chronic inflammation, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes and more. ⁹

What can be done?

Primary microplastic pollution is preventable, however regulation is severely lacking.

‘The current level of action is not yet adequate for addressing sound management of intentionally added microplastics’
An Assessment Report on Issues of Concern,
UNEP¹⁰

It is vital that as we go forward, as we continue our war on plastic, that those with the power to implement regulations and rules in regards to microplastics across all industries do so. The use of primary microplastics must be stopped in the agricultural sector, and indeed across all manufactured products. This cannot just be on the national level, but something that must be implemented globally. Global treaties are the key to impactfully reducing plastic and a comprehensive global approach must be developed and enforced.

Read the full report: Sowing a Plastic Planet – How Microplastics in Agrochemicals Are Affecting Our Soils, Our Food, and Our Future

[Update 29.06.23] Further reading on this topic can be found here: Why agri plastics are bigger threats than they appear to be

See more updates from CIEL :

Footnotes:

Trash Hero Indonesia Country Coordinator – full-time, remote

by Seema on 09/05/2022 3 comments

Trash Hero Indonesia is hiring a new Country Coordinator for their programme management team. The majority of work is carried out remotely, from anywhere within Indonesia, though occasional travel to Bali or other locations will be required.

The positions are open to Indonesian citizens, residing in Indonesia only.

This is a full time position (40+ hours a week), available immediately. Applications will remain open until the position is filled.

Salary range

– IDR 14-16 million, depending on experience

About Trash Hero

Yayasan Trash Hero Indonesia (THI) leads, supports and governs the Trash Hero volunteer movement within Indonesia, working for a clean world, free from plastic pollution. It is part of the Trash Hero World (THW) network, which has been active since December 2013.

In Indonesia, there are around 60 Trash Hero chapters (local groups) in communities all over the country. Activities focus on a weekly cleanup involving the local community, but volunteers are also involved in other projects, such as running a water bottle refill network, kids’ education, socialisation and zero waste advocacy.

Our country coordination team consists of two members of staff. Together they manage our volunteers and activities. They also work closely with the global programmes team, which includes 8 people, both volunteers and full-time staff, one of whom is also based in Indonesia.

Work Culture

We have an open, friendly and supportive work culture, with staff and volunteers working together at all levels of the organisation. We live the values of our Trash Hero Family and we are all personally committed to a zero waste future.

All work is done remotely from home (we do not have any offices). Team members connect over chat and meet regularly online during the week, often with international colleagues from Southeast Asia and the global programmes team.

Working hours are flexible and overtime and occasional weekend / out of hours work are considered part of the job. All working hours need to be documented.

Role description

As our chapter network grows, the Trash Hero Indonesia programmes team is searching for a new Country Coordinator who, together with our Programmes Administrator, will support and help deliver our programmes.

The position has a demanding workload that will suit a competent multi-tasker, with a broad range of skills. Being part of the coordination team requires a high level of organisation, excellent communication and proven experience in volunteer management. You will also have a passion for, commitment to and knowledge of zero waste and the Trash Hero mission.

You will work both independently, and as part of two different teams – the country coordination and the global programmes team – to ensure that our operations in Indonesia run smoothly, that our work is consistently of a high standard and that it creates the maximum impact possible. You will report directly to the Trash Hero World Programmes Coordinator and the Board of the Yayasan.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

PROGRAMME & VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT

Mentor new chapters and provide day-to-day support to existing chapters
Monitor activity and results of existing chapters and identify potential issues with compliance; or good work that deserves praise or mention to THW
Manage and support the expansion of the bottles & bags and kids & education programmes
Prepare and lead workshops, webinars and other volunteer training activities
Create training materials, presentation slides and other programme materials as needed
Provide input for programme improvement to THW
Stay informed about issues related to plastic pollution, zero waste, national policies, and potential solutions.
Work closely with the Programmes Administrator to ensure the smooth operation, monitoring & reporting of all activities.

COMMUNICATION

Act as first point of contact for the public, volunteers and other stakeholders
Filter emails, calls and social media messages and reply or forward to relevant people
Be in regular contact with chapter leaders via group chats and private channels
Write and send any general THI correspondence (e.g. invitation letters, thank you letters)
Manage THI’s social media channels, including developing and posting daily content
Analyse and report on social media engagement
Coach chapters to use the correct brand voice and narrative and monitor their (social) media posts
Send out and collect chapter and programme surveys as required
Provide assistance to volunteers and customers ordering THI merchandise or marketing materials

GENERAL ADMIN

Supervise the organisation of twice-yearly volunteer Family Meetings (invitations, hotel, travel, meals, other logistics) and other meetings as necessary
Translate (or arrange translation of) key documents into Indonesian / English as required

FINANCIAL ADMIN

Support the annual bookkeeping for Yayasan
Lead the accounting at Family Meetings
Give input for the Yayasan annual budget

PROGRAMMES ADMIN

Maintain up to date local language versions of all written and graphical programme materials (e.g. chapter handbook)
Administer the Meta Business Manager for all chapter social media accounts

GRAPHIC DESIGN (OPTIONAL)

Design work for chapters, social media and special events as necessary

VIDEOGRAPHY (OPTIONAL)

Create videos about Trash Hero activities for PR, education and fundraising (guidelines will be provided by THW)

Experience & Skills

Required

Indonesian native speaker, with good English (B2 level)
Excellent communication skills (written, spoken and non-verbal)
Comfortable with public speaking and moderation
10-12+ years of work experience, in a community-based, people management or communications role
Good IT skills (Excel, Word, Powerpoint and Google equivalents, including Forms)
Basic design skills (Canva)
Ability to work with people of different ages, backgrounds and cultures
Good time management and ability to prioritise tasks
Accurate, thorough and efficient way of working
Ability to work independently and take initiative when needed

Desirable

Experience of volunteering with Trash Hero or other NGO in a similar field
Networking skills
Translation skills (English to Bahasa Indonesia)
Knowledge of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign
Video editing skills

Appointment process

STEP ONE: Applications should be made by email to info @ trashhero.org and include:

your CV with 2 references
a cover letter OR personal video introduction (< 2 minutes) addressing why you want to work for Trash Hero

Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

STEP TWO: Successful candidates will be contacted for an initial online interview.

STEP THREE: The second round will involve a period of (part-time) volunteering. Trash Hero is an organisation that depends entirely on volunteers, so this is a great opportunity to understand that dynamic, as well as allowing both sides to get to know each other before making a commitment. If all goes well, a formal job offer will follow.

Are we all plastic people now?

by Seema on 14/04/2022 No comments

Until recently, coverage of the impact of plastic pollution has tended to focus on marine debris and harm done to wildlife. Recent developments, however, indicate that the species most widely affected by plastic could well be us: humans.

A series of reports published over the last month highlight how far plastic has travelled – not only into the Antarctic, or the Mariana Trench, but deep inside our own bodies.

On 24 March, it was announced that 4 out of 5 people may already have tiny pieces of plastic circulating in their blood. 77% of the samples tested in a study funded by the NGO Common Seas came back positive for plastic – mainly PET, polystyrene and polyethylene – common plastics found in clothing and food packaging.

Common Seas admits the finding raises more questions than answers. Does the plastic accumulate in our bodies over time? Can it travel into our organs? Will it trigger diseases such as cancer? It has called on the UK government to invest £15 million (USD 19.7 million) in further research to uncover the links between plastic and our health. This research is urgently needed as many scientists believe that plastic may be the next public health crisis, much like asbestos and smoking in the past. Findings in lab conditions have already shown that microplastics cause damage to human cells.

In early April, another British study found that 11 out of 13 people sampled had microplastics lodged deep inside their lungs. The study was the first of its kind conducted on tissue from living people, who were undergoing surgery. Here, the most common particles found were polypropylene (23%) and PET (18%), again both common types of plastic to which we are exposed on a daily basis. Two previous studies had found microplastics at similarly high rates in lung tissue taken during autopsies.

Although it has been known for some time that microplastics can be inhaled, this is the first time that they have been found in the lower regions of the lungs. According to one of the report’s authors, Laura Sadofsky, they should normally have been trapped or filtered out of the airways before getting that far.

The final report, released by Plastic Soup Foundation (PSF) on World Health Day, 7 April, gives us an indication of another way plastic may be entering our bodies. We are literally rubbing it into our skin, hair and teeth! PSF’s analysis of 7,704 cosmetic products from popular brands in the EU revealed that 9 out of 10 contained some form of microplastics.

Microplastics are commonly defined as solid particles, under 0.5mm in length. They usually come from textiles (fibres shed from synthetic clothing, carpets etc.), larger pieces of plastic that have degraded, or – in the case of cosmetics – “microbeads”. Microbeads are tiny pieces of plastic (usually polyethylene and polymethyl methacrylate) added to products to aid exfoliation.

What PSF discovered was that there are also plenty of invisible microplastics in our products. Liquid and semi-liquid polymer-based ingredients are routinely and deliberately added to help foam, smooth and bulk out various toiletries and treatments. As these are blended in, they can’t be seen: they are only discovered by reading the small print on the ingredient list. In some cases, up to 90% of a cosmetic product may be comprised of microplastic ingredients.

In the report, Plastic: The Hidden Beauty Ingredient, PSF calls for the EU to expand its current definition of microplastics, which will be used to regulate the cosmetics industry, to include liquid and semi-liquid plastics as well as solid plastic particles. This will, they say, close glaring loopholes and make our personal products safer for both the environment and our health.

The cosmetic industry in Europe alone uses 8,700 tonnes of microplastics every year, with an estimated 3,800 tonnes going down the drain and into the waterways. At least some of the rest will be in our bodies – and the health impacts remain unclear. Right now, reducing the amount of plastic we produce and use, in both products and packaging, is the safest option to protect ourselves and future generations from harm.

If you’d like to take further action, both Common Seas and Plastic Soup Foundation have petitions to which you can add your voice. Click on their names to sign.

Trash Hero World receives UN Environment accreditation

by Seema on 24/03/2022 No comments

Trash Hero World is honoured to have been granted formal consultative status at the United Nations Environmental Assembly (UNEA). This “observer status” is awarded through an accreditation from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which we received on 16 March 2022.

UNEP has been working for 50 years to protect the environment, fight climate change and support sustainable development. It sets the environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment. UNEA is its governing body, comprising of 193 member states, representatives from civil society, businesses, and other major groups and stakeholders. It is the world’s highest-level decision-making body on the environment.

The full list of UNEP-accredited organisations, including Trash Hero World, can be found on the UNEP website.

As an official observer, we are now among 500+ NGOs globally who can give input to policy discussions and participate in the UNEA sessions and those of its subsidiary bodies. With the announcement of a legally binding global plastics treaty at the recent UNEA-5.2 in Nairobi, it is a very exciting time to join and to be able to give voice to the needs and views of our grassroots volunteer network, many of whom are working on the frontline of the plastics crisis in Southeast Asia.

It’s snowing plastic in the Alps

by Martyna Morawska on 16/02/2022 No comments

In a new study, Empa researcher Dominik Brunner, together with colleagues from the Utrecht University and the Austrian Central Institute for Meteorology and Geophysics, investigated the amount of plastic present in precipitation over the period of a month.

According to the study, nanoplastics can spread aerially over a 2,000-kilometre radius resulting in around 43 trillion tiny plastic particles ending up in Switzerland every year. This could equate to 3,000 tons of nanoplastics annually, ranging from the remote Alps to the urban lowlands. “These estimates are very high relative to other studies, and more research is needed to validate them”, according to Empa. Nonetheless, the results of Brunner’s work are the most accurate assessment of nanoplastic air pollution ever made.

To count the plastic particles, Brunner and his colleagues developed a method that determines the level of contamination in collected samples. The scientists examined a small area at an altitude of 3,106 metres at the top of the Hoher Sonnenblick mountain in the Austrian Hohe Tauern National Park. Every day and in all weather conditions, they removed part of the top layer of snow at 8am and carefully stored it to check for plastic residue.

The origin of the tiny particles was traced using European wind and weather data. It was established that the largest emission of nanoplastics into the air happens in densely populated, urban areas. About 30 percent of the measured nanoplastic particles on the mountaintop came from a radius of 200 kilometres, mostly from cities, while around ten percent of the particles were blown in from more than 2,000 kilometres away, partly from the Atlantic.

It is estimated that more than 8.3 billion tons of plastic have been produced worldwide, around 60 percent of which has ended up either in a landfill or the natural environment. This plastic is eroded by weather effects and abrasion into micro (less than five millimetres in diameter) and nanoparticles (less than 100 nm in diameter). Due to their size, their movement in air can be best compared to gas. This means they are easily inhaled into our lungs, as well as ingested through contaminated food and water sources. Once in the body, their size allows them to potentially cross the cell-blood barrier and thus enter the bloodstream. The health implications of this are only beginning to be studied.

Every kilo counts! How we measured our impact in 2021

by Martyna Morawska on 06/02/2022 No comments

Did you know that in 2021 alone Trash Hero organised 2,801 cleanups? That is almost 8 cleanups on every single day of the year! We have also welcomed 49,426 volunteers on board, including 11,531 under the age of 16. We collected a whopping 284,606 kg of trash, an average of 102 kg per cleanup. With our Bottles & Bags programme, we were able to distribute 1,401 bottles and 2,185 bags, equating to saving 797,525 single-use plastic bottles* and 511,365 plastic bags*. And 2,000 new Trash Hero kids books were printed, in 2 new languages – Malay and Arabic.

Where do those numbers come from? After every cleanup event, Trash Hero chapters weigh the trash they collected and post their results with photos on social media. The data is also uploaded to a central collection point. To be fully transparent, we make this data publicly available. Anyone can access it live on our website, by clicking on the chapter name: https://trashhero.org/our-network/.

This policy of data collection means that we can also calculate our impact since the very beginning of Trash Hero. Here is what we have achieved together thus far from December 2013 to December 2021:

We have mobilised 411,837 volunteers including 103,510 kids.
Together, they completed 14,910 cleanups and 266 brand audits.
2,154,134 kg of trash have been collected, including (in the last 6 months) 9,479 single-use masks.
In total, Trash Hero has distributed 102,470 reusable bottles, thus avoiding 37.4 million single-use plastic bottles* and 1,947 tons of CO2 emissions in the process.
Meanwhile, our distribution of 27,945 reusable bags has saved 10.2 million plastic equivalents*.
Our network is now active in 171 locations in 20 countries worldwide.

Of course, numbers are only one side of the story. Let’s not forget the positive energy, momentum and hope that our actions create – these things are immeasurable. We hope we have captured some of this Trash Hero spirit in our impact video above. Click play to see the magic – and thank you to all who have contributed to these achievements over the years!

*based on an estimated average usage of 1 refill per day for a year (365 days)

Trash Hero joins the Plastic Health Coalition

by Martyna Morawska on 19/01/2022 No comments

Trash Hero World is proud to have been invited to become a new member of the Plastic Health Coalition. Together, we will work on preventing and resolving the harmful impacts of plastic pollution on the environment, as well as filling the knowledge gaps regarding the relationship between plastics and human health.

The Plastic Health Coalition was launched by the Plastic Soup Foundation, a non-profit organisation aiming to educate the public about “plastic soup” – the litter floating in the oceans and affecting marine life, the environment and our health. The coalition involves various national and international environmental and research organisations, whose scope of work focuses on the negative effects of plastics and microplastics on our health. As part of the initiative, a yearly Plastic Health Summit is organised with the focus being on exposing the devastating health impacts of plastics, and highlighting the benefits of a healthy environment.

By joining the Plastic Health Coalition, Trash Hero hopes to facilitate and support the process of spreading essential knowledge regarding plastic pollution and human health. Our expertise, experience and resources will enable us to bring this knowledge to international audiences in multiple languages. We are committed to supporting the Plastic Health Coalition in the fight for a healthier planet and, by extension, healthier people.

Trash Hero brings The Story of Plastic to new audiences

by Martyna Morawska on 13/12/2021 2 comments

Billed as the film “Big Oil doesn’t want you to see”, the Emmy-Award winning documentary The Story of Plastic presents a cohesive timeline of how we got to the current stage in the global plastic crisis, showing how the petrochemical and FMCG industries manipulated the narrative around the pollution they were creating, successfully pinning the blame on the consumer and public infrastructure.

After its success, its producers, The Story of Stuff Project, released a short animated version of the documentary that summarises its main arguments and the need for systemic change in under five minutes.

Seeing the potential of this short to address misconceptions about the solutions to the plastic crisis, Trash Hero collaborated with The Story of Stuff Project to produce local language versions, with dubbed narration.

We have already released versions in Thai, Indonesian and Malaysian; several other languages will follow in 2022. This will allow the important messages of the film to be seen by new audiences in Southeast Asia and beyond. To date, the videos have reached more than 1 million people on social media! If you are connected to any of these language speakers, please do share the clip with them.

The original video files are also freely available to use offline for NGOS, schools and organisations; please contact us to get a download link.

We would like to thank the global Trash Hero Family and everyone who has been involved in the translation project. Special thanks to the volunteers and studio facilities who provided their time for free:

Malaysia: Muhammad Asyraf bin Rosmidi and Anne Vendargon (translation), Rosnani Nazri (narration)

Thailand: 130TUN (video editing)

Arabic: (clip coming soon) Arts Group Studio, Laila Al-Najjar (narration), Yousef Al-Shatti and Bader Al-Shatti (translation)

Vietnam: (clip coming soon) Hiệp Nguyễn (translation and narration), 130TUN (video editing)

To view the original English version of “The Story of Plastic animated short” with subtitles in many languages, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iO3SA4YyEYU

Gala concert held for Trash Hero World

by Martyna Morawska on 22/11/2021 No comments

In the evening of November 12th, Trash Hero took part in a very special event – a gala with an acoustic concert organised in Hotel Alexander (Weggis, Switzerland).

A piano and guitar set was performed by a Swiss singer and song-writer Eliane, winner of the second season of Switzerland’s Got Talent. Eliane is an ambassador for Schnarwiler’s cosmetics lines “Trash Hero Love” and “Re-use-me” and is an avid supporter of Trash Hero’s activities.

Throughout the evening, we received over $3500 in donations, including the entire amount earned by the guitarist for the night who kindly donated his salary, which we are extremely grateful for!

The gala was organised by Schnarwiler, a Swiss based manufacturer and distributor of beauty and health products, who have launched a zero-waste line of toiletry products in collaboration with Trash Hero. During the event, Roman Peter had the opportunity to deliver a presentation to an audience of around 100 people, explaining the mission and vision of Trash Hero, as well as inviting attendees to join the movement.

We would like to especially thank Eliane for her role in this fundraising event, and for her continued commitment to raising awareness about our mission.