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  • How a #Litterati army on Instagram sparked a global fight against litter

    Michael J. Coren

    October 12, 2020 |

    Hothouse Solutions |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

    What started as a small group of people taking pictures of waste in their communities and tagging it on Instagram with the hashtag #Litterati, turned into a global effort, and even an app, to map and dispose of trash. Users can upload to the app an image of trash and machine-learning algorithm can tag it location, material, and company who made it. The city of San Francisco asked the makers of the app for help documenting cigarette butts and tobacco products on its streets and ended up winning a legal victory over the tobacco industry to increase the taxes on their products.

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  • Kenyan engineers recycling plastics for bricks

    Yvonne Okwara-Matole

    September 28, 2020 |

    Citizen TV Kenya |

    Video |

    5-15 Minutes

    Response Location: Kenya

    Gjenge Makers Ltd is an alternative building product manufacturing company that creates products – such as pavers and blocks – out of recycled plastics. Founded by four Kenyan engineers, the team began by studying the manufacturing process and researching what products would do well on the market. They then built all of the machinery themselves, which break down the plastics, and then mix them with other building material products to ultimately create customizable plastic bricks that can withstand larger weight and are less expensive than concrete. They are popular in rural and lower-income areas.

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  • Soap on tap? A startup arrives in NYC with a plan to take the plastic out of cleaning products.

    Claire Elise Thompson

    September 21, 2020 |

    Grist |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, New York, New York

    To make food and cleaning products more accessible to those experiencing economic hardship, the startup Algramo has installed more than 2,500 automated bulk-dispensing systems throughout Chile where people can purchase an item and come back to refill it using the same container. Instead of competing against other consumer good companies, Algramo works with them to help change their packaging practices to reduce their plastic waste. Algramo is scaling the service to New York City and Indonesia to help cash-strapped and eco-friendly shoppers.

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  • Smartphones saving the rainforest

    Julie Ball

    September 15, 2020 |

    BBC |

    Radio |

    Over 15 Minutes

    Response Location: Brazil

    Rainforest Connection makes a smartphone app that is part of a system using solar-powered phones in the rainforests of Brazil, Sumatra, Costa Rica, and Peru to stream audio of suspected illegal logging. This system, using recycled phones, enables the capture and shutting down of logging operations. In Brazil, about 100 loggers have been arrested and a large share of the rainforest has been protected, though many loggers there and in other countries still evade detection. This app is one example of innovations in use around the world to extend the lives of smartphones to benefit environmental conservation.

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  • ‘Tons and tons of fishing equipment': B.C. tour operators clean up ocean debris during coronavirus pandemic

    Matt Simmons

    September 15, 2020 |

    The Narwhal |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: Canada, Vancouver Island

    Expeditions to clean up debris from the coastline are underway along the B.C. coast after an ecotourism company was forced to stop tours during the pandemic. The project is largely funded by the B.C. government’s Clean Coast, Clean Waters Initiative Fund, and involves five different companies. In just one expedition, 61 tonnes of garbage was collected and removed via volunteers, a helicopter, and a barge.

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  • Preserving forests while emptying trash cans? The story of a Burkinese green charcoal

    Morgane le Cam

    August 24, 2020 |

    Heidi.news |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou

    To preserve the millions of trees that are cut down just to produce coal in Burkina Faso, a Burkinese engineer created "green charcoal that would not only protect forests but also help fight against the proliferation of garbage." This ecological fuel is made from carbonized collected garbage and coconut husks, which in turn has reduced the amount of garbage that has to be managed by the authorities in charge of sanitation.

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  • Use of plastic bags in England drops by 59% in a year

    Rebecca Smithers

    July 30, 2020 |

    The Guardian |

    Text |

    Under 800 Words

    Response Location: United Kingdom, England

    The sales of single-use plastic bags has dropped by more than 95 percent in England’s supermarkets since 2015 when a monetary fee was introduced to encourage shoppers to reduce their plastic waste. Despite this reduction, research suggests that the amount of plastic waste in the world’s oceans was still likely to triple in volume in the next 20 years.

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  • Beach Cleanups Prove Popular And Purposeful During Pandemic

    Claire Caulfield

    July 06, 2020 |

    Honolulu Civil Beat |

    Text |

    Under 800 Words

    Response Location: United States, Hawaii

    Since single-use plastic usage has increased since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations in Hawaii are planning beach cleanup events to pick up the plastic waste. Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii’s first beach cleanup event since the start of the pandemic drew 150 registrations in less than a day. 808 Cleanups is growing its adopt-a-site program where households identify a beach, waterway, or trail they’d like to regularly clean up. Coordinating a large number of volunteers while maintaining social distancing guidelines has been difficult to navigate.

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  • Can social enterprise fix Pakistan's waste problem?

    Asad Pabani

    May 26, 2020 |

    Pioneers Post |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: Pakistan, Islamabad

    Two organizations in Pakistan are working to tackle the country’s waste problem. Saaf Suthra Sheher in Islamabad set up partnerships with offices and schools to process their dry waste like plastics and glass. TrashIt, a Karachi-based group, collects organic waste from vegetable sellers and restaurants and then processes and sells it as compost. Although the two organizations can only process so much of the waste produced in cities, they argue that until an effective municipal waste collection system is implemented, they can educate individuals and businesses about how to recycle properly.

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  • Tech startups want to reinvent the bulk aisle—grocery's most glorious, affordable, unwieldy section. That's going to be harder than it looks.

    Karine Vann

    April 18, 2020 |

    The Counter |

    Text |

    Over 3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

    The bulk food aisle in grocery stories - where dry goods are weighed and put in containers that consumers can bring from home - is getting more attention as tech solutions arise to revamp this shopping experience. From SmartBins to MIWA, solutions typically involve using technology to track weight more efficiently and cleanly while generating data on consumer habits. These solutions help consumers save money, have a higher profit margin for companies, and reduce waste in the process.

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