SEATTLE (Recycling Monster): Vancouver, B.C.-headquartered for-profit social enterprise reached new milestone in diverting plastic waste on its tenth anniversary year. The group has helped global recycling communities in Southeast Asia, Latin America and Africa divert approximately 80 million kilograms of plastic waste. This translates to prevention of 4 billion plastic bottles from reaching the ocean.

Plastic Bank focuses on preventing discarded plastics from ending up in oceans by gathering them from areas within 50 kilometres of coastlines and waterways. The volunteers ensure that ocean-bound plastic waste are properly collected and recycled.

The local collection branches allows members to drop off materials. The recyclate from these collection branches are transported to recycling facilities for processing into flakes or pellets, including recycled PET, HDPE and LDPE, which are used by leading household product companies including SC Johnson, Advansa, CooperVision and Henkel.

David Katz, Founder & Chairman, Plastic Bank noted that the tenth anniversary is the beginning of a new era which focus on delivering creation of a wasteless world. The aim is to create a future where ocean plastic and poverty do not exist, said Shaun Frankson, Co-Founder & Chief Technology Officer, Plastic Bank.

Plastic Bank thanked communities, partners, collection members, branch owners, processors, and employees for being part of the Social Recycling movement.