Plastic Bank - Bali, Indonesia

How the project works

Indonesia is one of the world's largest contributors to ocean plastic pollution, with rivers carrying millions of tonnes of waste into the sea each year. Plastic Bank Indonesia has built a network of over 800 collection communities across the archipelago, giving people a financial incentive to intercept ocean-bound plastic before it reaches waterways. Collectors bring recovered plastic to local collection points and receive fair compensation through a secure, blockchain-backed digital payment system.

Beyond income, Plastic Bank provides collectors with comprehensive social benefits including health insurance, life insurance, and grocery support - addressing systemic vulnerabilities that drive poverty and pollution simultaneously. In partnership with Alfamart, one of Indonesia's largest retail chains, the program has embedded plastic collection into everyday community life, making participation convenient and culturally normalized.

Recovered materials are processed into Social Plastic® - a certified, traceable recycled material used by global consumer brands in their packaging. This closes the loop between waste collection and global supply chains, creating a circular economy model that is simultaneously solving the ocean plastic crisis, lifting communities out of poverty, and reducing reliance on virgin plastics.