Ocean-Bound Collection and Co-processing of Mixed Plastics in Pondicherry, India (PPRS)

This project partner incentivizes fishermen, waste pickers and waste workers from marginalised communities to collect and divert ocean-sourced or ocean-bound plastic waste from the coastal regions around Pondicherry, in Tamil Nadu. 

Low value plastic waste caught in fishermen’s nets, as well as used fishing gear, is often dumped back into the ocean. Back on land, waste pickers in India’s informal waste sector typically pass over plastic that’s degraded or hard to recycle, focussing their efforts instead on plastic waste with higher value.  

This partner uses the funds from plastic credits to buy low value plastic, including styrofoam, fishing nets, and mixed flexible plastic, providing members of marginalised communities with a better livelihood while diverting plastic waste from the ocean. Plastic waste is brought to their facility for sorting and baling, and low value mixed plastic waste is sent to a co-processing facility that meets both local and global standards.

Support for this project will allow them to expand their collection network and provide waste pickers and fishermen with more incentives, safety equipment and training, as well as to expand capacity and infrastructure.