Helsinki joins Plastic Smart Cities – a first in the Baltic Sea
In March 2024, the city of Helsinki joined the global Plastic Smart Cities movement – becoming the first to do so in the Baltic Sea region.
Plastic Waste Free Schools Model in Viet Nam
Students can become agents of behavior change towards the plastic waste problem. TARGET USERS: Educational Institution, Teacher, Student KEY CONSIDERATIONS: The exact implementation can be adapted to different school conditions and students’ attitudes towards the issue. Besides direct engagement and behaviour change aimed at students, a potential knock-on effect is that students and youths can influence their […]
Shoreliner
The Shoreliner is a collection system for floating plastic debris in ports, rivers and other waterways. TARGET USERS: Businesses, Industry, Government KEY CONSIDERATIONS: The Shoreliner is being developed in The Netherlands, and has launched a pilot with the Port of Rotterdam. MORE INFORMATION: https://www.tauw.com/news/news/shoreliner-voted-most-sustainable-port-project.html THE PROBLEM More and more plastic waste is ending up in our oceans and seas. The […]
Source Segregation
Source Segregation by regulatory instrument establishes rules that govern the quality of garbage collection at the household or institutional level, and that can mandate or incentivize waste stream separation at the source of generation. TARGET USERS: Individuals, Businesses, Industry, Government KEY CONSIDERATIONS: Source Segregation reduces the upstream sorting cost and ensures that downstream recyclers receive clean feedstock, thus […]
Reuse Models
Reusable containers and packaging eliminate the need for single-use plastic items in all sectors. TARGET USERS: Individuals, Businesses, Industry, Government KEY CONSIDERATIONS: Globally, replacing just 20% of single-use plastic packaging with reusable alternatives offers an opportunity worth at least USD 10 billion. Reuse models can bring major user and business benefits including superior user experiences, user insights, brand […]
Packaging Material Fees
Packaging Material Fees require manufacturers to pay fees according to the amount of packaging material they put on the market. TARGET USERS: Industry, Government KEY CONSIDERATIONS: Packaging Material Fees can be pooled to fund packaging waste management activities through a Producer Responsibility Organization. MORE INFORMATION: See the German Packaging Ordinance THE PROBLEM The trade in plastic across international borders remains […]
Landfill Tax
Landfill taxes are charged to private landfill operators to help drive waste away from landfills and towards environmentally preferable disposal alternatives, such as reuse, recycling, and composting. TARGET USERS: Businesses, Industry, Government KEY CONSIDERATIONS: While it is well documented that countries with high landfill taxes tend to have lower landfill rates, affordable landfill alternatives must be available in […]
Extended Producer Responsibility
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) holds producers responsible for the collection and recycling of specified volumes of plastic that they produce and place into the market. TARGET USERS: Individuals, Businesses, Industry, Government KEY CONSIDERATIONS: EPR policy impacts often depend largely on implementation and policing capabilities. MORE INFORMATION: WWF EPR Project THE PROBLEM There is no economic incentive for product manufacturers to reduce […]
Bankable Nature Solutions
Bankable Nature Solutions are solutions for environmental challenges that at the same time generate an acceptable (risk-adjusted) return on the money invested. TARGET USERS: Businesses, Industry, Government KEY CONSIDERATIONS: Bankable Nature Solutions are intrinsically different from regular conservation projects as they are managed by the private sector with a design centered around revenue generating activities that help recover project […]
Advance Disposal Fee
Advanced Disposal Fees are non-refundable fees levied on individual products at the point of purchase, with the fee being built into the price of the product based on the estimated costs of collection and processing. TARGET USERS: Individuals, Businesses, Industry, Government KEY CONSIDERATIONS: Advanced Disposal Fees employ a “polluter pays” approach to revenue generation to fund collection and […]