A startup company is working with locals in Thailand to collect and recycle plastic garbage from the ocean, using innovations like blockchain technology to track trash throughout the process.
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00:00These boats on the island of Koh Chang in eastern Thailand
00:05are returning home with their daily catch.
00:08Not fish, but plastic garbage.
00:13They're working with a start-up called Thai
00:15to recycle some of the estimated 6 million tons of plastic waste
00:19that goes into the ocean each year.
00:22It's a problem that can seem endless.
00:30We don't need plastic. It's the best.
00:33Hopefully in the future we can do more
00:36because even 200 tons per year that we can collect for now
00:42I think it's a very small part of this problem.
00:48The company is taking a new approach when it comes to proof
00:51that it's removing plastics from the ocean.
00:54It uses blockchain technology to track the trash
00:57from collection to the end user.
00:59After paying the collectors for their work,
01:02a labor-intensive sorting process begins
01:05due to the wide range of discarded plastics.
01:08While arduous, the company says this kind of work
01:11means it's not necessary to make new plastic.
01:14We are convinced there is more than enough plastic on our world
01:18and we should take what already exists.
01:21The final product of all this work is raw plastic pellets,
01:24known as nurdles.
01:26They're sold to buyers like Condor Group,
01:28one of Europe's largest carpet makers.
01:34The carpets made with recycled plastic
01:36cost as much as 40% more than those made from fresh plastics.
01:40But Condor says customers are willing to pay
01:42for quality, sustainable products.
01:45So we see sustainability not just as a trend
01:49but more as stewardship for future generations to come.
01:53You have to start somewhere,
01:55and the more products that are being launched
01:58and prove that the quality is just the same,
02:01convince others to switch to.
02:03Combining old-fashioned labor with cutting-edge tech,
02:06startups like Tide are trying to make an impact
02:09on a seemingly intractable problem.
02:11And if such efforts are successful,
02:13it could represent a new wave in a sea of plastic.
02:17Klein Wong and Chris Gorin for Taiwan Plus.
02:23Taiwan Plus