Category: Citarum River, Indonesia

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The Path Towards Circularity in the Citarum River

The Citarum River in Indonesia provides water, irrigation, and electricity to 25 million people.

Semi-automatic mechanical waste capture system surround by water hyacinths in the Citarum

In December 2021, we started our river waste collecting operation in the Citarum as a part of the Clean Currents Coalition. The Citarum is the longest river in West Java, Indonesia, stretching 297 kilometers before reaching the Java Sea. Initially, our operation was limited only to the application of a semi-automatic mechanical waste capture system consisting of a pontoon mounted waste collector, a trash boom set, and a waste transporting system from pontoon to sorting house.

As our operation began to run smoothly, a few questions arose: what if the volume of waste flowing through our site was either higher or lower than our device design capacity? How will the operation continue beyond the initial start-up funding? To answer the latter question, RiverRecycle explored the possibility of developing a plastic credit model to fund our operations long term.

After a trial period from October 2022 to May 2023, it was determined that the plastic credit program could fully fund our Citarum operation. Not only that, but the availability of plastic credits also enabled us to partly answer the questions around our volume of waste collection. Thus far, our waste collection rates had been substantially lower than anticipated due to the chronic and overwhelming presence of water hyacinths, but the plastic credit program allowed us to expand into what we call our “River Scavengers Engagement Program” and our “Community Engagement Program.”

Extreme growth of water hyacinths in the Citarum

River Scavengers Engagement Program

River scavengers unloading plastic waste
River scavengers weighing plastic waste

In the Cihampelas Village where we operate, and also in the nearby Citapen Village, we found that there are a number of households whose main livelihood depends upon scavenging plastic waste in the Citarum River. Up until now, they only collected high-value plastic waste such as PET bottles and PP cups, leaving the low-value (and most abundant) plastic waste in the river.

Recognizing this opportunity to increase our total plastic collection, we began collaborating with these river scavengers to:

  1. Increase their income;
  2. Increase the total volume of river plastic we capture (and “monetize” into plastic credits);
  3. Provide additional feedstock for our plastic board and pellet production (another one of our solutions for sustained funding and waste management).

The collaboration with the scavengers works like this: each participating scavenger agrees to collect a certain quota of low-value plastic from the river. We then purchase the low-value plastic collected by the scavengers at an agreed-upon price and use it as feedstock in our plastic board and pellet production. The scavengers also collect and weigh high-value plastics, which they are free to sell to the existing supply chain for their own benefit.

Since the inception of the River Scavengers Engagement Program in May 2023 through November 2023, 24,235 kg of high-value plastic and 251,812 kg of low-value plastic have been collected from the Citarum with the collaboration of around 15 scavenger households.

Community Engagement Program

River clean-up events as part of the Community Engagement Program

Looking closely at our data, we realized a significant proportion of our collected waste is household or domestic waste, originating mostly from the Citarum’s tributaries. These tributaries are in densely urban and semi-urban settlements where many residents maintain the habit of dumping their waste into the river, gutters, and drainage canals due to the non-existence of proper waste management systems.

This situation has revealed some of the main issues of the Citarum Basin, namely:

  1. The low awareness of residents in maintaining and protecting river ecosystems;
  2. The limited capacity of existing waste management in some areas;
  3. The chronic accumulation of dumped waste in many of the Citarum’s tributaries.

Reflecting on these issues, we came up with the Community Engagement Program. This program is intended to:

  1. Mitigate the accumulation of waste in polluted water bodies;
  2. Increase awareness to preserve rivers;
  3. Introduce waste sorting practices to communities.

For now, the Community Engagement Program consists of river clean-up events. We invite people from the surrounding areas to join in our river clean-up efforts and learn about waste sorting practices. So far, we have successfully conducted two river clean-up events. The response from the communities has been quite positive with a desire to continue this program at other locations. During both events, we were joined by over 130 participants and collected about 4 tons of plastic waste and 8 tons of total waste.

Waste Sorting as part of the Community Engagement Program

Low-Value Plastic Recycling Program

By successfully increasing river plastic waste collection, we have already surpassed the feedstock volume required for our plastic board production plant. This has opened up another possibility for revenue generation, which is the recycling of our extra low-value plastic into pellets using the idle capacity of existing local recycling plants under a manufacturing service agreement.

The goals of the low-value plastic recycling program are to:

  1. Make recycled products out of plastic waste collected from the Citarum in a relatively short time with low capital input;
  2. Drastically reduce the need for storage area by turning plastic waste into more compact pellets;
  3. Provide flexibility for maximizing revenue potential in anticipation of plastic market price fluctuations.

We began our first trial in mid-December 2023, recycling 5.1 tons of single-use plastic bags (locally known as ‘asoy’) into plastic pellets. The next step will be to utilize different types of plastic waste in the recycling process.

Transforming single-use plastic bags into reusable plastic pellets

RiverRecycle’s operation in the Citarum River has taken a distinctive approach designed and developed specifically for our location by adjusting to the existing site conditions. Over 5 million people live in the Citarum River basin, and these stakeholders continue to face challenges in terms of conflicting interests in river management, limited waste management service capacity, and low environmental awareness around river ecosystem conservation and waste handling.

We see these challenges as opportunities for developing new solutions towards achieving the Clean Currents Coalition goal of eliminating the flow of plastic waste into rivers and eventually into the ocean. At RiverRecycle, we are growing more confident that through innovation, focused persistence, and collaboration, we will be able to find answers to the challenges of cleaning rivers all over the world.

Learn more about RiverRecycle and their work:

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1,000,000 Kilograms

Plastic washes over a resting sea turtle. Every year, 8 to 12 million metric tons of plastic enters our oceans.

The Clean Currents Coalition has achieved a major milestone in the effort to turn off the tap of plastic pollution. Together, the Coalition has captured and removed over 1,000,000 kilograms of plastic waste from rivers worldwide – much of which would otherwise have found its way to the ocean.

In Panama City, Panama, CCC member Marea Verde celebrates reaching the 1,000,000 kilogram milestone at their trash wheel, Wanda Díaz.
Water hyacinth clogs the Citarum River in Indonesia, a challenge for the Citarum Repair team and many others in the CCC.

After three years of research, testing, and scaling up innovative solutions, reaching the 1,000,000-kilogram mark is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the Coalition teams. Along the way, they encountered and overcame many challenges – from a global pandemic to technology adjustments to water hyacinth – to show that we can take action and make an impact in our local communities struggling in the face of the growing wave of plastic pollution.

Removing 1,000,000 kilograms of plastic waste from rivers and preventing it from reaching the ocean is a feat to be celebrated in and of itself, but the Clean Currents Coalition is doing so much more than just capturing plastic. To solve the plastic pollution problem, we have to tackle the issue on multiple fronts with a focus on upstream solutions. The ultimate goal of the Coalition is not just to divert plastic from the ocean, but for there to not be plastic to be removed from the environment in the first place.

In Nairobi, Kenya, CCC member Chemolex works with local community groups to transform riverside dumpsites into green spaces. Here, the footpath is made from paving bricks manufactured by Chemolex from the plastic they remove from rivers.

How is the Clean Currents Coalition achieving this? Every Coalition team is collecting data on the plastic they remove so it can be used to inform better public policy and learn where to target behavior change campaigns. Coalition teams are developing innovative technology solutions to make data collection more efficient and accurate. They are inventing creative ways to use the collected plastic to benefit the local community and create sustained income to further grow their projects. They are leading education campaigns to raise awareness around the dangers of plastic pollution and empowering local communities to take part in the protection of their environment.

In Tijuana, Mexico, CCC member WILDCOAST used the tires they collected from Los Laureles Canyon to build a community park and soccer field for the local residents.

As a Coalition, we are proud to have reached the 1,000,000-kilogram milestone. But our work is only just beginning. There is much more plastic to capture, and systemic change is needed across all phases of the plastic lifecycle.

Waste accumulates in the Lat Phrao Canal, Bangkok, Thailand, where CCC member TerraCycle Global Foundation is trapping plastic before it reaches the ocean.

Every four hours, another 1,000,000 kilograms of plastic enters the ocean – the same as emptying 240 dump trucks into the water. Humankind has made 11 trillion kilograms of plastic since 1950. That’s equivalent to the weight of 1.1 million Eiffel Towers. Over half of that was made after 2008. By 2050, we are on pace to make over 1 trillion kilograms of plastic every year – at which point we will have made enough to cover the entire United States ankle-deep in plastic.

In this sense, 1,000,000 kilograms may seem like a drop in the bucket in the grand scheme of the global plastic pollution problem. But the impact of the Clean Currents Coalition is clear – we need collective, local action as well as large systemic change to solve this crisis. The Coalition teams are making a difference in the lives of thousands of people impacted by plastic pollution in their communities. These solutions can be replicated in other communities and rivers. We can use our power as consumers to drive producers to make less plastic by using less plastic. But we also need top-down action to conquer the plastic menace. We need a strong global plastics treaty that doesn’t cut corners, and we need transformative policies that rethink our relationship with plastic.

1,000,000 kilograms is just the start of the journey for the Clean Currents Coalition.

The Clean Currents Coalition at the 2022 Coalition Symposium in Santa Barbara, California.

Growing a Handicraft Industry by Ridding Rivers of Plastic Pollution

A wide, peaceful river meanders through the middle of the frame. Dense green vegetation covers the riverbanks up to the waterline. In the distance, low clouds and mist hang over hills.
A peaceful day on the Citarum River

With plastic pollution increasingly in the public spotlight, we have seen a surge of initiatives and ventures to clean rivers and oceans from debris and waste. But like water flowing downstream, pollution on a river is a responsibility that seems to float away. While the conversation around accountability for plastic pollution thrives and we try to figure out how to close the tap, affected communities continue to struggle to manage the waste already present in their environment. Here, urgent problems such as poverty and inequality often make investing in the creation or renewal of waste management systems less of a priority. Meanwhile, waste is choking life out of rivers, and people who used to make a living by fishing are instead foraging the same waters to find valuable waste to sell.

From fishermen to waste picker
Out of the river, into the value chain
Waterways as waste highways: the price of having no effective waste management in place

How to Act Locally to Solve a Global Problem?

Like many others out there, our projects at RiverRecycle include a technology that cleans plastic waste from rivers. Since floating debris is composed of a mix of organic and inorganic materials, removing plastic out of a river is a complex process that reduces only part of the pollution. But this approach doesn’t prevent the input of new waste. We decided to go one step further to engage the local communities by collecting all the floating waste and sorting it on land, where it can be seen and doesn’t float away. We’ve created a permanent waste management system that will stay in place even when the spotlight moves elsewhere.

Solar powered river waste collectors: scaling up river cleaning capacity by using environmentally friendly technology

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Investing and Community Engagement: a Winning Combo for Economic Development

If no one claims liability for this river waste problem, it is unfair to ask affected populations to pay for the solution — especially when those populations are underserved and already bear an unequal burden. In this spirit, we require no monetary investment from the local communities. Grants from foundations and companies looking for CSR projects offering measurable outcomes finance RiverRecycle’s river cleaning technology installation. Afterward, the waste collected is recycled and sold, with the income reinvested to fund the system. Local partners such as Greeneration Foundation and Waste4Change contribute awareness and education programs about reducing, reusing, and recycling waste. These actions, paired with the installation of waste collection points for recycling, generate a tangible positive change.

Warm reception during our community outreach programs

Local employment in sorting and recycling plastic is only part of our
solution. We have a “zero waste to landfill” mentality, and focusing on plastic is not enough; we work to find a commercial use for all the waste we collect. This approach allows us to support local producers in scaling up their activities and entering larger markets.

The Case of Citarum Saguling: Creating a Global Network for the Local Economy

River waste characteristics vary from site to site, and we never know how much of the debris we collect will be composed of plastic. That’s the case at our Citarum Saguling site, where we currently collect 800 kg of waste daily. Up to 60% of that is composed of water hyacinths. At its full maturity, this installation is expected to collect 50,000 kg of waste per day, with a relative increase in the harvesting of water hyacinths.

Our Citarum Saguling river cleaning site covered in green

As Waste4Change’s exhaustive post explained, water hyacinths are a grave problem. Here in Indonesia, the Bening Saguling Foundation created a local commercial venture that harvests this invasive plant and uses the stems as raw material to produce bags, boxes, mats, and similar sellable items. Aware that the difficulty of harvesting water hyacinths in considerable quantities has hindered the development of this venture, we achieved a mutually beneficial partnership: the volumes of raw materials we extract from the river daily will allow the Bening Saguling Foundation to scale up their production. The goal is to increase the output of hand-woven water hyacinth baskets to about 350,000 pieces annually, opening the door for the producers to supply big corporations of global influence. This change will not only have a positive impact on the local economy, but the river’s biodiversity as well.

Hyacinth woven box structure assembly

When we decided to act on plastic pollution, we chose to create something permanent, affordable, and adaptable to each situation. But we also wanted to work with the local communities for real and scalable economic change. Our approach might seem complicated since it involves many moving parts and requires coordination and networking among different players. Yet the positive results we are achieving are a daily validation that if we focus together on the solution, we can create effective and positive change where it is needed.

Hidden Secrets of the Water Hyacinth and the Guardians of the Citarum River

Water Hyacinth covering the surface of the Citarum River
Water Hyacinth covering the surface of the Citarum River

Citarum River, once a pristine source of life for over 15 million people of West Java living around its waterways, is now infamously known as the “most polluted river in the world”. Due to increase in both industrial and domestic activities added with irresponsible (and in some cases, zero) waste and wastewater management, the river now hosts plastics, trash, and toxic chemicals instead of healthy aquatic life, forcing fishermen to become garbage men. No less than 20,000 tons of waste and 340,000 tons of wastewater are disposed of daily directly into the river and since 2008, nearly 60 percent of its fish species have disappeared.

Amongst the many problems dumped into its waters, one persistent species presents itself on the surface of the Citarum River time and time again: the water hyacinth. One of the world’s most invasive aquatic plants, water hyacinths have significant negative impacts on ecosystem services and, in extension, the surrounding social communities whose lives and livelihoods are dependent on them. Water hyacinth infestation blocks sunlight from reaching aquatic organisms and deplete oxygen level in water systems, which results in damaging water quality and seriously affecting various life forms in the ecosystem.

Sea of green due to water hyacinth infestation

The effects of climate change are taking form in the unpredictable dry season, and the blue sights of many sections of the Citarum River are now replaced by a sea of green. As the water surface falls, water hyacinth rises in numbers. The water hyacinth bloom comes as quickly as it goes, and when it does infest Citarum waters, you almost think you can step right onto it and touch land. Nevertheless, just as you should not judge a book by its cover, do not judge a river by its surface. Not only would you find yourself immersed in a forest of aquatic plants, but also in plastic waste.

Water hyacinth has an extensive root system and provides a huge surface area for microorganisms to attach to, which is beneficial in increasing the potential for organic matter decomposition. However, this also makes their roots susceptible to become “involuntary hosts” to a plethora of plastics and microplastics polluting the river. These wastes and other debris drift along with the current and would either sink into the sediment of the river or be trapped in the inescapable strings of these roots.

Trash are trapped by the roots of water hyacinth

The expansion rate of water hyacinth each season is too severe and beyond the control of local stakeholders. Physical, chemical, and biological methods are widely applied throughout the world to eradicate or control water hyacinth. Chemical method uses herbicides and pesticides to be applied on the infested areas, while biological methods involve applying arthropods and pathogens (e.g. bacteria, fungus and viruses that feed on the leaves of water hyacinth). However, these methods are not advised as they in turn accumulate and contaminate the water ecosystem. The physical method is employed by directly harvesting, cutting, and removing the plant using machines or manual removal by hands and tools.

For the communities of Cihampelas Village, located in one little corner of the vast 270 kilometer-long Citarum River, the physical method is the most cost-effective and feasible way to eradicate water hyacinth. Members of these communities are the self-designated “river guardians” of the Citarum River that organize environmental conservation efforts under the locally founded Bening Saguling Foundation. Eradication of water hyacinth is essential in keeping Citarum waterways clean and safe.

Drying water hyacinth to be crafted by Bening Saguling Foundation

Bening Saguling Foundation, which was founded in 2014, has a journey that sees the ever-changing nature of the Citarum River and empowers local communities, especially those who work as scavengers and those living in low economic conditions. Its base in the Cihampelas Village, West Bandung, stands strong just 300 meters from the river bank, with airy buildings and open-spaced huts–made from bamboo and recycled water hyacinth. These dwellings house various activities for the surrounding communities such as collecting and processing river and domestic waste, crafting water hyacinth and other natural materials, raising public awareness and education on environmental conservation, and hosting a nature school for children.

Indra Darmawan is the hero of this story, a Mathematics graduate with a Masters in Public Education who dedicated his life for environmental and social servitude. He established the Bening Saguling Foundation to what it is today and created solutions for environmental pollution while providing jobs for his community. Indra and his ‘troops’ collect and transport river waste using small boats. Dozens of tons of plastic type waste collected daily are then sorted and supplied or sold to collectors. Collected water hyacinths are dried, cleaned, and then crafted into carpets, bags, tapestries, decorations, and many more.

Bening Saguling Foundation
Mr. Indra Darmawan showing the result of handicrafts made from water hyacinth

Greeneration Foundation, in partnership with Waste4Change and RiverRecycle, has continued to realize our plans of establishing a river waste collection technology along with the necessary capacity building needed. Following our baseline survey which includes both social and technical studies, we are currently working to deploy our plastic capture device in Citarum River, build the waste treatment facility that supports it, as well as educate the public and local communities on the dangers of plastic waste and proper waste management.

For the Citarum Repair project, we are proud and honored to have Mr. Indra Darmawan himself as our local partner. Through collaboration with Bening Saguling Foundation, we hope that they may not only work with us but also guide us with their years of insights in waste management and protecting Citarum River.

Waste4Change team (during survey) on a small boat used by the local communities to collect and transport waste

We are excited to be starting our technical operations this year, and to learn the many lessons these local heroes have experienced in combating river pollution and plastic waste. By the end of this project, we hope to have built and equipped an adequate waste facility that will not only reduce solid waste pollution in Citarum River but also empower its local communities.

The Irony of the Citarum River

The Citarum River is the largest and the longest river in West Java province (Indonesia) with a total watershed area of 6,614 km2, around 22% of the West Java area. It provides ecosystem services such as food, drinking water, and flood protection for approximately 25 million people with 15 million people living around the river. Its water is treated for drinking in big cities such as Bandung, Cimahi, Cianjur, Purwakarta, Bekasi, Karawang, and Jakarta. It flows into three reservoirs and has been generating electricity with around 1,400 MW (one thousand and four hundred), not only in Java but also in the Bali province. While the scenery of the river has been a nice recreation area for local people, the Citarum River also protects the people living nearby from floods by containing stormwater. However, these services have subsided due to the deterioration of the river’s water quality.

The upstream area of the Citarum River is still clean and has water springs

One of the emerging problems in the Citarum River is pollution. The sources of the pollutants come from industries, farms, and neighborhoods. Chemical pollutants get into the river through pipes from industries that operate along the river contributing to water quality deterioration thus, making it non-drinkable until processed. Livestock is also a source of pollution because it redounds high organic waste from cattle. The impacts of this organic pollutant in the river are algae blooms and uncontrolled water hyacinth growth which causes oxygen depletion and blocks light for aquatic organisms. The last source of pollutants is neighborhoods which highly contribute to generating solid waste, particularly plastics. 

Citarum River is a natural reservoir to collect stormwater protecting neighborhoods from flooding

The accumulation of plastic waste in the river may cause harmful effects that can be life-threatening. The waste is deposited into the river’s sediments and makes the water depth more shallow. According to local people in Bandung Regency, they had mined the river’s sediment because it contained a high proportion of soil. However, nowadays, the sediment contains more plastic than before. In general, the accumulation of plastic and waste may cause flooding that regularly happens in some areas near the Citarum River. According to local people living in the area, the water level of the flood could reach the roof of their house during the rainy season with dirty, smelly, and dark floodwaters, causing evacuation. People have also claimed that they could see solid waste and animal carcasses brought into their houses with the flood. This disaster happens every year in Bandung Regency, the southern area of Bandung City West Java, around the upstream area of the Citarum River. Downstream flooding also occurs regularly in Bekasi City. According to the local government, there were more than one hundred thousand households impacted by flood events from December 2019 to January 2020 from high rainfall intensity.

Trash accumulated along the Citarum River

Stakeholders seem to understand that solid waste becomes one of the main causes of flooding. For instance, the government continuously implements programs to clean the river while the local community also tries to contribute by cleaning the river and implementing a responsible waste management system in their neighborhood. Several communities living along the Citarum River have tried to contribute to cleaning the river and managing the waste in more responsible ways. For example, a foundation located in the West Bandung district called Bening Saguling has been cleaning the river from plastic waste. They could sell 250 tons of valuable plastics per month. In addition, Pak Yoga, a local resident in Bandung Regency who lives around the Citarum River, initiated a movement to collect and manage waste in his neighborhood properly by collecting and segregating the waste from houses and handling it responsibly. They process organic waste using maggot larvae, sorting and selling plastic waste in a small waste facility on the river bank. 

The Greeneration foundation team with their partners RiverRecycle and Waste4Change

Greeneration Foundation with its partners Waste4Change and RiverRecycle are going to educate the public and local community about the dangers of plastic waste and proper waste management. Recently, we have conducted a baseline survey including a social and technical study on waste samples from the Citarum River. The data from the study will be used for communication outreach and the waste sampling data can be a reference for our technical operations in 2021. According to the data collected, the local community in our site understands that waste is dirty but they are unaware it can affect their health. In general, people do not throw their waste into the river; they instead burn it because they do not have an adequate waste facility. They also understand that waste is highly generated from households, although they do not segregate and reduce their waste.

Although some interventions to clean the Citarum River have been implemented, the problems persist. For instance, when Bandung Regency flooded in March 2020, the water level reached three meters and people used wooden boats as transportation.

We may need to think of a more sustainable intervention that can maintain the river in the long run. The actions of cleaning the river and preventing the plastic waste to get there in the first place can be more effective by using a technology fitted within the local setting. Therefore, the problems would be tackled for the long-term, and people living along the river could feel safer and healthier while providing services to the people and ecosystems along the river banks.

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River Guardians: Meet the Teams of the Clean Currents Coalition

Amazon River Basin photo
The Blue Marble (NASA). The Amazon River Basin is the largest in the world by water volume.

Where rivers flow, life is found. Like veins in our bodies, rivers carry water and nutrients across our planet, allowing both human civilization and nature to flourish. But rivers also act as one of the main conduits of plastic waste into the environment – the arteries that carry waste from land to the ocean. And as we clog these arteries with plastic, we threaten the health of our planet.

In our first blog, we introduced our solution to the challenge of river plastic waste: the Clean Currents Coalition. The heart and soul of the Clean Currents Coalition are the 9 innovative and dedicated teams across the world working tirelessly to make an impact on their communities, river systems, and ultimately, the ocean.

We are excited to introduce to you the 9 amazing teams of the Clean Currents Coalition, in their own words…

Greeneration Foundation, Citarum River, Indonesia

“Our Indonesian-Finnish partnership includes Greeneration Foundation, Waste4Change and RiverRecycle, working to intercept plastic waste in the Citarum River before it enters the Java Sea. The Citarum River is the largest and longest river in West Java, supporting 25 million people and 22% of the West Java area.

The Greeneration Foundation, Waste4Change, and RiverRecycle teams discussing plans for the Citarum River. (Photo: Greeneration Foundation)

“With our capture system, we aim to collect 70 tons of waste per day. All recyclables will be recycled responsibly while low value waste will be processed using pyrolysis technology. Simultaneously, we will conduct communications and outreach aimed to improve awareness toward more responsible waste management. Once this pilot project is successful, we hope to replicate and disseminate our work in other parts of the world.”

Ichthion, Portoviejo River, Ecuador

“Our mission is to protect, restore, and create a safe future for the ocean’s fauna and flora using cutting edge technology. In partnership with the Circular Foundation, the Provincial Government of Manabí, and Impact Recycling, we are deploying the Azure System® to intercept plastics in the Portoviejo River. This interception system combines physical recovery, power generation systems, and gathering of essential data for decision-making and improving municipal waste management systems.

The Ichthion team in a virtual “Zoom” meeting – one of the many adaptations the Clean Currents Coalition teams have made to continue having an impact during a global crisis. (Photo: Ichthion)

“As the Portoviejo River travels through the Manabí province, inadequately managed waste finds its way to the water. This contamination not only affects the river’s ecosystem but also travels directly into the Pacific Ocean, affecting dozens of species and sensitive marine ecosystems such as the Galápagos Marine Reserve. Being a part of the Clean Currents Coalition is a great honor that is enabling us to deploy our technology to help one of the most impoverished communities in Ecuador and one of the most vulnerable ecosystems in the world. This project will also serve as a catalyst for us to continue deploying other projects in the region and into other regions with similar plastic waste conditions.”

Marea Verde, Matías Hernández River, Panama

“At Marea Verde, a Panamanian nonprofit established in 2017, we address river and coastal pollution through civic action and innovative technological solutions. We work in the Matías Hernández watershed with projects in environmental education, beach and mangrove cleanups, and a floating barrier to capture waste flowing down the river.

Marea Verde team members remove waste trapped by their floating barrier system in the Matías Hernández River, Panama City. (Photo: Marea Verde)

“As part of the Clean Currents Coalition we will work with urban communities upriver, understand their waste behavior and the incentives that could drive behavior change. We will also upgrade our capture system similar to Baltimore Bay’s Mr. Trash Wheel. A diverse and professional team has come together for this project, including Baltimore’s Clearwater Mills, Panama’s Technological University, and Wisy, an AI startup. We are excited and look forward to an enriching experience and active exchange among Coalition members during this journey.”

“The Foundation is excited to share the learnings from this comprehensive river cleanup initiative with the Clean Currents Coalition members as we work together to identify and implement new and innovative approaches to tackle the issues of marine plastics in our rivers.”

— TerraCycle Global Foundation

The Ocean Cleanup, Kingston Harbour, Jamaica

“The Ocean Cleanup, the Dutch non-profit organization developing advanced technologies to rid the world’s oceans of plastic, is collaborating with the Recycling Partners of Jamaica (RPJ) to deploy an Interceptor in a multi-year project at Sandy Gully in the heart of Kingston Harbour, Jamaica.

The Ocean Cleanup founder, Boyan Slat, aboard an Interceptor in Malaysia. (Photo: The Ocean Cleanup)

“While The Ocean Cleanup provides the technology, RPJ will operate the Interceptor and ensure the environmentally sound disposal of all collected plastics and materials. Key focus will also be placed on a robust communication and community education program that will encourage proper waste disposal and active recycling cultures. The highly visible location, which is vital to Jamaica’s tourism industry, will reaffirm the country’s strong commitment to protecting the environment and arm it with new capabilities to address the challenge. This project will be one of the first in The Ocean Cleanup’s mission to tackle the 1000 heaviest polluting rivers in the world.

“Being part of the Clean Currents Coalition is a great way to exchange ideas, experiences and best practices in dealing with plastic waste in rivers around the world, and will provide an excellent platform to demonstrate the importance of addressing rivers in solving the ocean plastic problem.”

Ocean Conservancy, Song Hong (Red River), Vietnam

“The Song Hong (Red River) weaves through northern Vietnam, ending in the coastal province of Nam Dinh. At the river’s mouth is a RAMSAR site–Xuan Thuy National Park–which boasts rich migratory bird habitat and mangroves that support local fisheries. Unfortunately, it’s under threat by plastic waste. A 2019 study conducted by Ocean Conservancy and partners indicates a negative relationship between the quantity of marine debris in the park and mangrove health.

The Ocean Conservancy team on the Song Hong. (Photo: Ocean Conservancy)

“To help reduce the pressure on this vital ecosystem, Ocean Conservancy has teamed up with a leading Vietnamese NGO, the Centre for Marinelife Conservation and Community Development (MCD), to install five river plastic capture devices at several waste hotspots in Nam Dinh. The team will also measure the impact of the traps with Dr. Chelsea Rochman (University of Toronto), and work with political leaders at all levels to help drive improvements in the waste management and recycling systems. Building on our International Coastal Cleanup, our team will work to engage the public in reducing ocean-bound plastic. Through the Clean Currents Coalition we’re excited to exchange lessons learned with other groups tackling similar problems.”

Renew Oceans, Assi River, India

“At Renew Oceans we believe clean oceans begin with clean rivers. We are working to reduce ocean plastic waste where it begins – in populous, river-adjacent communities.

Sorting through waste collected and removed from the Assi River, a tributary of the Ganges River in the holy city of Varanasi, India. (Photo: Renew Oceans)

“Our inaugural project Renew Ganga is located along the Assi River, a tributary of the Ganges River (Ganga in Hindi). Renew Ganga employs a 3 C approach – collection of land and river-based plastics, conversion of that plastic into fuel or recycled material, and community engagement, awareness building, and behavior change. Though behavior change and awareness doesn’t happen overnight, our team is dedicated to working alongside waste pickers, policymakers, educators, and volunteers to continually reduce river plastic waste in the Assi. We are excited to be part of the Clean Currents Coalition and join a global network of organizations working collaboratively to eliminate river plastic waste.”

“The Clean Currents Coalition is a great way to exchange ideas, experiences and best practices in dealing with plastic waste in rivers around the world, and will provide an excellent platform to demonstrate the importance of addressing rivers in solving the ocean plastic problem.“

— The Ocean Cleanup

Smart Villages & Chemolex, Athi River, Kenya 

“Chemolex Company is a fast-growing social enterprise based in Nairobi, Kenya. We have partnered with Smart Villages Research Group to develop and install innovative plastic capture devices at strategic locations within River Athi and its tributaries such as River Nairobi, Ngong and Mbagathi.

Athi River, Kenya cleanup
A boom is installed in the Nairobi River to collect data on plastic waste and hydrological conditions to develop a capture device suited to the river site. (Photo: Chemolex Company)

“With this project, we hope to stop the existing marine plastic waste problem that is fed by the vast amounts of plastic waste in the upstream sections of River Athi. By installing these devices, we will also be able to obtain data and scientific information on river plastic waste. These data will be utilized in developing policy documents and undertaking comprehensive awareness campaigns in Kenya’s urban informal settlements that release up to 2,000 tons of waste on a daily basis. The outreach programs will be centered on the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle), to help enable sustainable plastic waste management in Kenya. In addition, an average of 10 tons of plastic waste collected from the various river segments will be used to produce affordable and effective construction materials such as fencing poles, tiles and pavement blocks. To maximize the social impacts of this project, we are partnering with community based organizations (CBOs) and women and youth groups in managing the plastic capture devices. These groups will be trained on how to develop sustainable enterprises within the waste management sector.”

TerraCycle Global Foundation, Lat Phrao Canal, Thailand

“The TerraCycle Global Foundation is building upon an existing partnership with its Thai-based affiliated partner, the TerraCycle Thai Foundation and local environmental NGO, the Blue Carbon Society, to implement a community-focused marine plastic capture system and communication initiative in the Lat Phrao Canal in Bangkok. This waterway traverses a densely populated, low income canal community with more than 100,000 residents and is an integral link in Bangkok’s extensive canal system connected to the Chao Phraya River, Thailand’s longest and most polluted river which empties directly into the Gulf of Thailand.  The Foundation is excited to share the learnings from this comprehensive river cleanup initiative with the Clean Currents Coalition members as we work together to identify and implement new and innovative approaches to tackle the issues of marine plastics in our rivers.”

In a Bangkok canal, waste is funneled to a collection basket where it is removed and repurposed by the TerraCycle team. (Photo: TerraCycle Global Foundation)

WILDCOAST, Tijuana River, Mexico

“With offices on both sides of the US-Mexico border, WILDCOAST and our partners are directly affected by Tijuana-generated plastics and tires that are transported by the binational Tijuana River into coastal areas that eventually enter the Pacific Ocean. In Tijuana, uncollected plastics and chronic illegal dumping in canyons and ravines along the river contribute significantly to marine pollution on both sides of the border. This pollution impacts fragile ecosystems and wildlife as well as public health. Currently, the only plastics-intercepting infrastructure is located in the US. It is imperative to build matching infrastructure in Mexico to address the problem closer to the source. We are very excited to have the support of the Clean Currents Coalition, which will allow us to remedy this issue.”

Tires and other forms of waste are removed from a creek bed during a river cleanup led by WILDCOAST. (Photo: WILDCOAST)

Hungry for more about these innovative teams and the rivers that inspire them? Check back in over the next few weeks as we let the Clean Currents Coalition teams themselves take the blogging stage to share their own stories from the riverbank.

Categories
Assi River, India Athi River, Kenya Juan Díaz River, Panama Juan Díaz River, Panama Lat Phrao Canal, Thailand Lat Phrao Canal, Thailand Portoviejo River, Ecuador Portoviejo River, Ecuador Song Hong, Vietnam Tijuana River, Mexico

Tackling River Plastic Waste: Introducing the Clean Currents Coalition

Oil Spill
The blowout of Union Oil’s Platform A released 3 million gallons of crude oil into the Pacific Ocean, coating 800 sq. miles of ocean and killing thousands of seabirds, marine mammals, and fish. It is the third largest oil spill in the history of the United States, behind only the BP Deepwater Horizon and Exxon Valdez spills. (Photo: Santa Barbara Maritime Museum/Dick Smith Collection)

On January 28, 1969, catastrophe struck. When an offshore oil platform off the California coast experienced a blow-out, over 3 million gallons of crude oil gushed into the Pacific Ocean. But while a black tide smothered the coastline, a green tide rose in the small California seaside town of Santa Barbara and quickly spread across the globe. In 1970, the first Earth Day was celebrated. Today it is the largest secular observance in the world, engaging over 1 billion people in 192 countries.

Fifty years later, the penchant for sparking global action remains strong in Santa Barbara. The Benioff Ocean Initiative, based at the University of California Santa Barbara, channels that spirit of global action to tackle the most pressing issues facing our ocean. Only now the focus has shifted to a new environmental problem: plastics.

The University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) campus, home to the Benioff Ocean Initiative at the Marine Science Institute. (Photo: Marine Science Institute, UCSB).

Plastics are remarkable materials. They are strong, durable, flexible, and easy to produce. From their use in cars and electronics to food packaging and healthcare, plastics are ubiquitous in modern life. Since 1950, over 7.8 billion tons of new plastics have been produced – the equivalent of 1 ton for every person currently living on Earth.

Of those 7.8 billion tons, only 9% have ever been recycled.

Some have been incinerated (12%), but the vast majority remain overflowing in landfills and accumulating in the environment. And once they are in the environment, the ultimate fate of many plastics is the ocean. Every year, up to 12 million tons of plastics enter the ocean. It is predicted that by 2050 there will be more plastics in the ocean by weight than fish.

While some plastics — like fishing gear — enter the ocean directly, most are transported from land, much of which is via rivers. Up to 275 tons of plastics enter the ocean from rivers every hour.

Because of this, rivers offer a unique opportunity to fight the plastics crisis. In the ocean, plastics are carried to hard-to-reach places like the open ocean, down the water column, and to the sea floor. Rivers, on the other hand, are accessible, relatively shallow, and act as point sources of plastics. To turn off the tap of plastics entering the ocean, rivers are a great place to start.

Theoretical design of a river plastic capture device. Floating booms guide plastic waste to collection points.

With this knowledge, the Benioff Ocean Initiative and The Coca-Cola Foundation have partnered to create and support a global network of innovative, mission-driven problem solvers: the Clean Currents Coalition.

Consisting of 9 teams in 9 different countries, the Clean Currents Coalition is combating the flow of plastic waste from rivers to the ocean. The interdisciplinary teams of the Clean Currents Coalition are developing new and innovative technologies to capture plastic waste in highly-polluted rivers and to repurpose and recycle the collected materials.

But the intervention doesn’t stop there. While there are many noble plastics clean up efforts underway around the world, the Clean Currents Coalition is taking it one step further. Through extensive data collection and pioneering the use of new technologies like artificial intelligence, we are compiling a standardized, global dataset of plastic waste in the environment to better inform scientific research and management strategies. The teams are also working closely with their local communities to create real change surrounding policy, infrastructure, and behavior related to plastic waste. Our goal is that one day, thanks to the Clean Currents Coalition, there will no longer be plastic waste in our rivers to remove.

Mapping the rivers illustration
The Clean Currents Coalition consists of 9 teams working in 9 countries: Ecuador (Portoviejo River), India (Assi River), Indonesia (Citarum River), Jamaica (Kingston Harbor), Kenya (Nairobi & Athi Rivers), Mexico (Tijuana River), Panama (Matías Hernández River), Thailand (Lat Phrao Canal), and Vietnam (Song Hong River).

Today, each Clean Currents Coalition team is working in one community on one river system. But together, through collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and a common goal, our ambition is to use what we learn and help replicate these successes to more and more river communities around the world. We are taking the lead on global action to fight a global problem.

Join us on the journey of the Clean Currents Coalition. Follow us on this blog as we share the unique stories of these rivers and their communities as they work towards cleaner currents.