Food in exchange for plastic bottles

Plastic Bottle Village, an NGO from Panama, distributes rice, beans, grains, sugar, salt, oil and other long-life products in exchange for plastic bottles.

It has long been known that plastic bottles used for water, juice or soft drinks are not exactly good for the environment. Fish are full of tiny pieces of plastic, and waste is left everywhere. Every second, 22,000 plastic bottles are thrown away, many of which end up in the sea. To tackle this problem, plastic recycling is being encouraged and initiatives such as ‘The Ocean Cleanup’ have been launched, using a large net in an attempt to remove all the plastic from the sea.

Every second, 22,000 plastic bottles are thrown away, many of which end up in the sea

Houses made of plastic

But it is not enough. Plastic Bottle Village tries to give people an extra incentive by rewarding them with food when they collect and hand in plastic bottles. In addition to this project, the organization builds houses made of plastic bottles. The walls consist of plastic and are later plastered so that you can no longer see it.

Text: Nora van den Heuvel
Image: Plastic Bottle Village