Submitted Ideas

The Island Overspill effect – what goes in must come out

Developing countries, especially on remote islands, are often subject to heavy tourism and development and are incapable of managing their waste due to lack of infrastructure and physical space. 5 Gyres has completed 18 research expeditions since 2010 and has visited many of these developing/touristic island destinations. For example, one island in Indonesia, named Gili T., is currently facing this dilemma. Just one block behind the picturesque tourist oceanfront developments, lies a catastrophic open-faced dumping site. We propose that the same cargo vessels that import packaged goods to these island ports fill their empty containers with discarded plastic packaging that can be returned to plastic manufacturers.