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Latest news from Plastic Collective, where we talk about Plastic Recycling, Ocean Waste Plastic & tackling the current climate crisis. Also view events and get answers to common questions for those interested in becoming plastic neutral.
Seaspiracy Fact Check: The Inaccuracies and Controversy Explained
Plastic Collective and Marine Biology Students React to the Hit Netflix Documentary and Provide Insight into the Inaccuracies Outlined by the Media The new Netflix documentary “Seaspiracy” has gained a lot of attention following its release this week. The film,...
How do Plastic Credits Work?
Plastic Credits are a mechanism to incentivise the removal of plastic from the environment and the recycling of plastic into new products and packaging. There are two key participants in plastic credits. One is companies who use plastic in their products and...
Making plastic credits credible: WWF latest paper critiques potential crediting shortfalls
Is your company considering or currently using Plastic Credits? If so, WWF's latest position paper on plastic crediting is a MUST read. The report pre-dates the February 2021 launch of Verra's Plastic Waste Reduction Standard (Plastic Standard). Therefore, while the...
Your Roadmap to the Global Plastic Credit Market
An Official Plastic Credit Market is BornThe plastic problem is not new, yet the slew of corporate pledges driven by legislation and stakeholder pressures are. With corporates avidly searching for solutions, a plastic credit market was born. Like the carbon credit...
Plastic Waste Initiatives with Plastic Collective’s Les Village Program in Bali, Indonesia
Plastic Collective’s Les Village Program, Pilots the Plastic Waste Reduction StandardPlastic Waste Initiatives: The Pilot ProgramThe Reduce, Recover, Recycle (3R) Initiative, aims to increase the value of global plastic waste by transforming societal perceptions from...
Plastics! The Essential Guide to Repurposing, Reusing and Recycling
Importance of Repurposing PlasticsOver the past decade the importance of repurposing plastic materials has become imperative as the world transitions to more sustainable options. The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), analysed the...
Ellen MacArthur Foundation and Plastic Pollution
Plastic Collective talks about the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and how they’re leading the discussion on sustainability through reinventing systematic operations and innovation in resource management. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF) is a UK based charity,...
SEA of Solutions – Plastic Collective’s Contribution
SEA of Solutions is a globally recognized partnership event targeting plastic pollution. The event was originally organised by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) and Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA), through the SEA circular project....
Plastic Credits – Helpful or Harmful?
Are Plastic Credits Encouraging Businesses to Avoid Responsibility for Plastic Pollution? How Plastic Collective Tackles the Plastic Waste Problem The Plastic Waste Reduction program backed by the 3R Initiative, is a market based crediting system, intended to drive...
Christmas Time, COVID-19, and How to Avoid the Excessive Plastic! – Plastic Collective Reducing Pollution Through ‘Plastic Neutral Citizenship’ Gifts
Christmas Time, COVID-19, and How to Avoid the Excessive Plastic! Plastic Collective Reducing Pollution Through ‘Plastic Neutral Citizenship’ GiftsChristmas is a time for joy and celebration. It’s a time when family comes together to share gifts, stories and laughter....
Wetlands not Wastelands Project
Plastic Collective partners with Earthwatch, Carpentaria Land Council Aboriginal Corporation, and Coca-Cola Australia Foundation to tackle marine pollution in the Gulf of CarpentariaThe Gulf of Carpentaria is one of Australia’s most beautiful geographic and diverse...
Coffs Coast’s Louise Hardman nominated as NSW ‘Local Hero’ Australian of the Year
Fig 1. Louise starting out in her garage, shredding plastic milk bottles from the Shruder.A number of years ago, Louise Hardman, a 22 year old passionate zoologist, was working as the Project Officer for the newly established Solitary Islands Marine Park Reserve....
How to Reduce your Plastic Footprint
Plastic pollution is a huge environmental issue affecting our world today. It is becoming harder to avoid plastic packaging, material and products in our everyday lives. Plastic consumption has expedited over the past decade, with more than 8 million metric tons of...
Plastic Fantastic: A New Resource Recovery Centre Planned for the Mid North Coast [Coast Beat Article]
"Used plastic from Mid North Coast households and businesses will soon be reclaimed and repurposed at a new resource recovery centre in the Nambucca Valley. Coffs Harbour based company Plastic Collective has set the wheels in motion to establish the centre at...
Plastic Credits to Reduce Plastic Pollution
New Plastic Reduction initiative to help Reduce Global Plastic Pollution Plastic pollution is a major global environmental issue, with estimates of more than 8 million metric tons of plastic waste (from plastic bottles to food wrappers, cigarette butts to used...
Plastic Pollution in the Ocean, Common Causes & Ways to Reduce – Plastic Collective
Did you know more than 8 Million Metric Tons of Plastic Waste Enters the Sea from the Environment every year? Plastic waste gathers in the world's oceans through downstream currents from nearly every terrestrial location. Collecting and concentrating in the midst of...
Curing Shot becomes Plastic Neutral
Plastic Collective is proud to announce that Curing Shot has become certified Plastic Neutral with their plastic packaging for their product range – Curing Shots. Curing Shot’s are nutrient rich drinks, aimed to “boost” yourself. Curing Shot is a German juice company,...
Global Good Collective becomes Plastic Neutral
Plastic Collective is proud to announce that Global Good Collective has become certified Plastic Neutral with their plastic packaging for their new product range - Bamboo toiletry paper. To become Plastic Neutral, Global Good Collective has joined a growing number...
Citizen Science: Water and the Law of Least Resistance – ADEX – Asia Dive Expo
Aly Khalifa (Plastic Collective's Innovation Director) and Louise Hardman join ADEX - Asia Dive Expo to discuss the philosophy of water and the law of least resistance. How to survive and thrive in the blue ocean world and maintain your passion for a better healthier...
Plastic Collective working with Coca Cola & Earthwatch to tackle marine pollution
The Plastic Collective is proud to be working with CLCAC Land & Environment Rangers from the isolated northern communities of Burketown and Normanton in the Gulf of Carpentaria to help develop a marine pollution management plan and a report card to conserve this...
Saarinen Organics chats to Louise about ocean waste plastic
Saarinen Organics chats with Louise from Plastic Collective, about problems and solutions for ocean waste plastic and plastic in communities, recycling into valuable resources.
The State of the Ocean in the Age of Covid-19 – ADEX Pixel Virtual Expo
ADEX (Asian Dive Expo) is the biggest Dive conference in the world in Singapore. For the second year the theme is Ocean plastic pollution. Due to Covid-19 they are hosting the first virtual conference with panel speakers. Louise Hardman from Plastic Collective joins...
Cave Plastic Pollution – ADEX Pixel Virtual Expo
ADEX is the biggest Dive conference in the world in Singapore. For the second year the theme is Ocean plastic pollution. Due to Covid-19 they are hosting the first virtual conference with panel speakers. Louise Hardman & Steve Hardman from Plastic Collective join...
Climate Chatter – Tackling the plastic crisis – Event
South Pole have invited Steve Hardman from Plastic Collective to speak at an online conference where there will be a discussion how you and your organisation can fight the plastics crisis and actively improve the plastic footprint... Thursday, April 30, 2020 from 2:30...
When Plastic Credits Really Work
What is a Plastic Credit? Plastic Credits are just like Carbon Credits. They are sold to a company that wants to be Plastic Neutral and is unable to completely reduce their plastic usage to zero. A company buys a volume Plastic Credits in kilograms equal to the...
Ocean Lovers Festival
Ocean Lovers Festival Fish Tank with Louise Hardman from Plastic CollectiveDive into the Fish Tank to explore six 'great ideas for the ocean'. Ocean Impact Organisation (OIO) and Ocean Lovers Festival (OLF) are proud to bring you this virtual offering of the Fish...
Radio Interview – ABC Illawara
10th March 2020 Louise speaks to Nick Rheinberger all about plastics and how she is tackling plastic waste through the new government CRC-P grant Plastic Collective has recently received. Nick presents the Morning show on ABC Illawarra.
#IWD2020: 10 Women Changing The Future Of Impact In Asia – Green Queen
"Today is International Women’s Day and I am inspired to be recognized as one of 10 women creating social and environmental impact in Asia. Having a background in science and now totally emerged in creating technology that will bring about significant change for...
Visiting iAccelerate Expert-In-Residence, Aly Khalifa joins forces with Plastic Collective to fight ocean waste
iAccelerate Expert-in-Residence takes leadership role for $2.5m grant with Coffs Harbour pioneers to recycle plastic in remote and vulnerable communities. WOLLONGONG, Australia – Impact entrepreneur, Aly Khalifa, has become the Innovation Director for a three-year...
National Plastic Summit 2020 – Summary
Workshop: Plastics in the Economy, speakers: Peter Bury, Damien Giurco, Bronwyn Laycock, Stephen SchererSummary NATIONAL PLASTICS SUMMIT: PARLIAMENT HOUSE, CANBERRA 02/03/20 National Plastic Summit consisted of 200 selected delegates from Australian industry,...
PC mention at Parliament House
National Plastic Summit & PC mention at Parliament House 03/03/2020: Cowper Member of Parliament Pat Conaghan, talks about Louise Hardman, Founder of Plastic Collective and the CRC-P government funding, in the House of Representatives, Canberra.View Summary of...
Plastic Neutral Certification – How Does it Work for Me?
Becoming Plastic Neutral is a great way to help stop plastic entering the oceans and littering our environments. The concept is simple; you, your family and friends or your business every year use a certain weight of plastic in kilograms, which is called your Plastic...
Plastic shredder hopes to clean up Pacific Ocean – NewstalkZB
Plastic in our oceans is a huge problem, but one woman has come up with a solution to help in some of the more remote areas...
Louise Hardman shredding plastic for a brighter future – RNZ
The sheer amount of plastic floating in the Pacific Ocean is a daunting obstacle. But Louise Hardman has spent the last 25 years trying to reduce that mass by not seeing it as waste...
Recycling waste plastics: Birth of a new local industry? – Guardian News
Pat Conaghan MP at the announcement of the $2 million grant The Federal Government is investing almost $2.5 million in local company Plastic Collective to develop a cutting edge solution to recycling waste plastics in remote and regional communities...
Woopi Gardens & How to be a Plastic Neutral Citizen
Last weekend, I ran a Plastic Neutral workshop at Woolgoolga’s Community Gardens (aka Woopi Gardens), in my local town. The mission of Woopi Gardens is to build a sustainable garden accessible to all, encouraging community involvement, good health, well-being and...
Multi million dollar grant for recycling solution – Echonetdaily
With the earth slowly choking on our discarded rubbish, a joint project to tackle plastic pollution has received a $2.49 million dollar grant from the Australian Government to help solve the problem...
Green turtle’s death led to a $2.5 million grant to help rid the ocean of plastic – ABC Coffs Coast News
More than 25 years ago, Louise Hardman made a vow to do everything she could to rid the ocean of plastic.
Plastic Collective Set to Grow – NBN news
A Coffs Harbour recycling company is set to expand its operation Australia-wide thanks to a $2.5 million federal government grant. The Plastic Collective will work in partnership with Southern Cross University and a local engineering company.
Shruder MkII
THE SHRUDER (™) (pronounced 'Shroo-der') designed by Louise Hardman and manufactured in Coffs Harbour, Australia was adapted from Dave Hakken’s Precious Plastic modular machines in 2016. Two machines - a shredder and extruder are integrated into one portable unit....
Plastic Collective wins prestigious Government CRC-P Grant
We are immensely proud to announce, Plastic Collective and our partners are the recipients of an Australian Government Collaborative Research Centre (CRC-P) grant to research and develop waste plastic solutions for remote, regional and Indigenous communities. This is...
Unwanted Gifts
“It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving." ~ Mother Teresa Unwanted Gifts – Waste Not, Want Not Check these numbers out. Last year in the US, an estimated $13 billion was wasted on unwanted gifts over the holidays. In the UK £700 million and in...
Newsletter 4
Issue 4 | November, 2019WHAT'S NEW, WHAT'S HAPPENING & WHERE TO NEXT Hi everyone, It has been a few months since we last connected, not because we've had nothing to share, more that we simply haven’t had time to share it! Since the last newsletter, we have...
Asian Conference Tour
Plastic Collective Asian Conference TourLast week Plastic Collective team members touched down in Asia again to participate in the Sea of Solutions conference in Bangkok, an initiative from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Coordinating Body on...
Become a Plastic Neutral Citizen
Become a Plastic Neutral Citizen to Offset Your Plastic Footprint Today and Help Remote and Vulnerable CommunitiesIn just one year, 396 million metric tonnes of plastic was consumed globally. That’s an average of 53 kilograms of plastic per person destroying...
The New Plastics Economy
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” ~ Albert Einstein The Circular Economy Model – Is it the Answer to the Plastic Crisis?Understanding plastics is fundamental to creating sustainable solutions for the plastic crisis...
Plastics Economy Global Commitment report
Ellen MacArthur Foundation and UN Environment Programme publish first annual New Plastics Economy Global Commitment progress report“Addressing plastic pollution requires a fundamental system shift, from a linear to a circular economy for plastic, which is at the core...
Bioplastic – A Better Choice?
“There is no such thing as “AWAY”. When we throw anything away it must go somewhere.” ~ Annie Leonard The Complicated Truth of Bioplastic - Are They a Better Choice?The words ‘bioplastic’, ‘biodegradable’ and ‘compostable’ are often used synonymously with very little...
What on Earth is Plastic?
“From packaging materials, through fibers, foams and surface coatings, to continuous extrusions and large-scale moldings, plastics have transformed almost every aspect of life. Without them, much of modern medicine would be impossible and the consumer electronics and...
What’s the problem with single use plastic?
"You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” – Jane Goodall. Overconsumption of single use plastic is causing serious global...
Louise Hardman : Waste Warrior – Coastbeat Article
Coastbeat interviews the inspirational, Louise Hardman – a self-described ‘high school science teacher’ fighting the war on waste….and winning.
Shruder Program in Les Village, Bali
SHRUDER WORKSHOP, LES VILLAGEOver the last few months we have been very busy working with the local community of Les Village in Northern Bali to deliver two training programsand implement their Plastic Resource Recovery program. Sponsored by TJK Maxx and in...
WWF Report
World Wildlife Fund (WWF) reports "In 2016, the most recent year for which data is available, production (of plastic) reached 396 million metric tons. That is equivalent to 53 kilograms of plastic for each person on the planet."
Newsletter 3
Issue 3 | July, 2019SHRUDER WORKSHOP, LES VILLAGEHi everyone, Over the last few months we have been very busy working with the local community of Les Village in Northern Bali to deliver two training programsand implement their Plastic Resource Recovery program....
Coca-Cola Australia: World without waste – The Guardian
The latest figures suggest that by 2050, if left unmanaged, the weight of plastic in the ocean will be more than the weight of fish. We have all seen the environmental impact: footage of floating trash islands and sea life suffocated by our rubbish. But what if the...
Coca-Cola Australia: How do we solve the plastic waste crisis? – The Guardian
The world has a plastic problem. About eight million tonnes of it ends up in the ocean every year, and the Great Pacific Garbage Patch covers an estimated area the size of Queensland. So much plastic ending up where it does not belong is at the heart of the problem....
Collect. Transform. Create. How Plastic Collective and Coca-Cola are Collaborating in the Circular Economy
The world has a packaging problem and Coca-Cola is committed to help solve it. No one can solve this alone, which is why we’re working with partners like Louise Hardman, innovative founder of the Plastic Collective.
Plastic Collective Presentation for Plasticity Pacific, Fiji
27th March, 2019 The 2019 Plasticity Forum attracts hundreds of innovators, businesses and policy makers who are focused on finding solutions for waste plastic and creating circular economies for Planet, People and Profit. It was with regret that Louise was unable to...
Shruder Program delivered to Mantanani Island, Malaysia
We finally made it to Mantanani Island, 30km northwest of Sabah in Borneo. We are here to deliver our Shruder program for Reef Check Malaysia, sponsored by Coca-Cola. The Mantanani Archipelago consists of 3 islands, the largest called Mantanani Besar (‘Big...
The Shruder Workshop is Coming to Les Village, Bali
The Tempat Pembuangan Sampah Terpadu (TPST) or Waste Management Facility of Les Village is undergoing transformation into a village-scale plastic recycling and upcycling educational center. First comes the construction of a machine room that will house the Shruder, a...