INDONESIA – Prevented Ocean Plastic Southeast Asia (POPSEA) has opened a new recycling collection center in Jakarta as part of the company’s mission to set up recycling infrastructure in underserved communities across Indonesia.
POPSEA announced its ambition earlier in the year to open 25 centers across the globe, with the new center in Jakarta being the latest step.
This site has the capacity to process up to 110 tons of plastic waste per month, providing scope for around 30 jobs, and is a result of an ongoing partnership with Singapore-based investment management firm Circulate Capital.
The POPSEA team aims to develop practical solutions to improve the recycling supply chain in Indonesia and provide traceable recycled plastic to global markets, generating environmental, social and economic value from the first collector to the end consumer.
To date, the Prevented Ocean Plastic program has reportedly prevented almost two billion bottles from reaching the ocean and has grown into an award-winning initiative that works in partnership with global brands ranging from Lidl to LVMH.
POPSEA director Daniel Lawrence commented: “Our continued partnership with Circulate Capital allows us to build more collection centers in the areas that need it.
“As a result of their investment, we have been able to expand our areas of coverage, provide more income opportunities for collectors, and increase the amount of recycled material available for businesses to bring into their supply chain.”
Circulate Capital founding partner Regular Schegg added: “Through the success of its model, POPSEA is creating a blueprint for preventing plastic pollution in Indonesia and the region.”
Prevented Ocean Plastic names new ambassador
Last month, Prevented Ocean Plastic named Sarah Jackson as a new ambassador on board. Sarah is a world-champion professional windsurfer.
She has competed around the world, was Youth World Champion in slalom windsurfing and is two times vice-World Champion.
Sarah’s sport means she has a strong bond with the water, and as well as a successful competitor, she proudly calls herself an ocean advocate. A partnership with Prevented Ocean Plastic seems like the perfect fit.
“The ocean is my playground, but also my office. I spend almost every day in it and being out on the water is where I find my peace and clarity,” said Sarah.
“Yet as humanity, we are currently treating it like a garbage bin and a sewer, and not the lungs of the earth or the home to so many living organisms that sustain and nourish our planet.
“As an athlete competing at the highest level, I have found that I have a voice, and thus it is my mission to use my voice for good and bring forth topics that I truly care about, which for me is the ocean.”
Sarah is determined to help Prevented Ocean Plastic to spread the word about ocean plastic pollution, and everything that can be done to prevent it.
