VEPA and the Ocean Ambassadors are joining forces to raise funds to recycle the plastics on our beaches and coastal areas.
Fundraising Target: US$5,000
The funds collected will enable us to
- Build the Plastic Shredder machine
- Build the Plastics Compressor machine
- Build the Injection machine
- Support plastics collection by purchasing from the communities
- Creating the moulds for the pendants
- Making the “Plastic Tails”
- Shipping and delivery (ps. we will be planting trees and mangroves to offset the carbon on your behalf!)
Why?
As with any small island state, waste management practices are an ongoing and lengthy process that often end with low results that benefit the environment and habitats whilst supporting and implementing low cost initiatives that are in line with the economic status of the island group.
Recycling and reducing the waste remains an issue, in part due to a lack of infrastructure and resources to deal with the waste products. Tonga is heavily-reliant on imported products for food and economic development and has no main manufacturing processes within the country.
This means that every product that comes in stays here, with low ability of internally recycling and reducing the waste. Economically, recycling has been a low impact industry due to the high financial costs to ship the recycled products off the island whilst maintaining a profitable business.
Precious Plastics have free designs for machines that can be used to recycle plastics into useable products.
As whales and other marine life are such essential creatures in Tonga both culturally and economically, the project would create wearable items that are created through the plastics collected by community members.
Community groups and schools would benefit economically by being paid for the plastic collection, this money would come from the crowd funding of the pendants.
If you are a business based in Tonga that would like to sponsor this project please contact us at info@vavauenvironment.org
Vava'u Environmental Protection Association (VEPA) 