Plastic Bank — Rayong, Thailand

Thailand's 3,000 km coastline and thousands of islands host some of Southeast Asia's most celebrated marine ecosystems, drawing millions of tourists each year to snorkel, dive, and experience pristine waters. Yet this same coastline faces growing threats from land-based plastic pollution — rivers and canals carry enormous quantities of single-use plastic into the Gulf of Thailand and Andaman Sea, damaging the coral reefs and sea grass beds that support both marine life and tourism.

Launched in 2023, Plastic Bank Thailand in partnership with Ecoblue is rapidly building coastal collection infrastructure in Rayong and surrounding provinces — targeting the estuaries and river mouths that act as funnels for land-based plastic into the ocean. Collectors receive digital payments, social benefits, and training that transforms them from informal waste pickers into recognized environmental workers with stable income.

The program is designed to grow quickly, integrating with Thailand's existing informal recycling networks to maximize plastic interception at minimum cost. As the collection network expands, it will protect some of Thailand's most iconic marine destinations from plastic contamination — creating a model that can be scaled across Thailand's entire coastline and replicated in other nations facing similar challenges.