With various placements targeting distinct areas such as plastic pollution and marine surveys, YouthToSea is a youth conservation program hosted by Ocean Wise – a nonprofit organization.

I was in the Plastics Placement, and our team learnt about the seven common categories of plastics and their characteristics. Moreover, we examined the consequences of the circulation of microplastics in the Oceans and the methods that we can employ to mitigate the detrimental impact we have on the environment. Throughout the summer, the program leaders and marine specialists organized four shoreline cleanups, three informative excursions, and two communication and leadership workshops that provided us with a brief insight into plastic pollution and ocean conservation.

Photo taken from Oceana.org for reference on the different categories of plastic.

Personally, I enjoy the elegant movements of the marine animals and the gleaming view of the Ocean, so when I see people litter, I think about photos of fish getting trapped in plastic bags and turtles eating microplastic pieces. I discovered that estimates of over one million marine animals are killed by plastic every year. I was shocked by the statistics and was wondering if the microplastic in the Ocean would affect our health. Although the effects of microplastic on the human body is still uncertain, studies have shown that microplastic has various negative impacts – “The microplastics can have a toxic effect on fish and other aquatic life, including reducing food intake, delaying growth, causing oxidative damage and abnormal behavior.”（You Li et al 2021 IOP Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci. 631 012006) – on marine animals. Then, I wondered if there is a technique that could be used to remove plastic from the environment and started looking for opportunities to learn more about pollution and methods to solve the problem. I joined the school Green Team; while searching the web for more information about pollution, I discovered the YouthToSea Program. After reading through the program details, I knew that the Plastic Placement of YouthToSea would provide me with answers to my countless questions about pollution – such as are all of the plastics recycled used? If not, what can we do? – and the possible solutions.

During my researching process, I noticed a two fold issue. On one side, we are wasting resources by allowing plastic bottles to flow all over the marine ecosystem. On the other hand, the plastic decomposes into microplastics, which causes millions of deaths of marine animals and indirectly deteriorates our health by contaminating our precious water resources. If we are able to properly and effectively utilize the wasted resources, such as plastic in the Oceans, we are able to solve these environmental issues mostly from a business perspective. Being aware that my business interests and talents may assist in generating economic and social values, I am determined to participate in the YouthToSea Program in order to develop more insight.

During the program, we collected over 2000 plastic pieces, including take-out containers, plastic bags, and food wrappers. Participating in the shoreline cleanup, I saw the dominating role of plastic in our lives, from pens to water bottles to your phone case, and learnt that eliminating plastic from our lives is impossible. Moreover, although some companies claim the PLA plastic used in their products are decomposable, the plastic can only be broken down in specialized facilities and most of the plastic simply end up in the landfill and the Oceans. According to the OECD, only 9% of the global plastic waste is being recycled. This prominent problem of impairing the environment while wasting a potential resource to create value prompted me to plan a circular economy that focuses on recycle, reuse, and repurpose.  

Photo showing the things that we found during the shoreline cleanups.

With a team of three, I started a trial project that focuses on the overlooked plastic problem and targets to spread awareness while generating value through recycle, reuse, and repurpose. We have been creating tote bags out of cleaned plastic waste. By the end of 2022, we aim to recycle over 10 kilograms of plastic and sell more than 200 bags. In 2023, we plan to collaborate with grocery companies, such as T&T Supermarket and Walmart, to print their logos on our recycled bags and reach a larger audience. Even further, in ten to fifteen years, we will expand our influence through connecting with companies across the western and eastern coasts of North America and potentially Eastern China. However, if the business model fails in its initial stages, then we will find the shortcomings of our original idea and plan a new business model that advocates for the same purpose in order to mitigate the harm that plastics have on the environment while turning them into consumer goods that have value.

With my minimalistic attempts to understand and solve the problem of having tons of plastics in the environment, I hope to create a circular economy that focuses on recycle, reuse, and repurpose.

Photo taken from wdo.org to demonstrate the concept of a circular economy.