LICA Plastic Away Centre

Too much plastics exist in the environment and even the initiatives of recycling or redirecting plastics, it does not rid plastics, rather, it ultimately returns to the environment. But, what if we can rid plastics completely from the environment by converting plastics to money? The idea is to create a center to shred plastics, collaborate with the local government and building contractors, and have all community members taking their plastics to the shredding center. The community members would be paid for their plastics. After shredding, the building contractors will purchase and mix with sand and cement for building. Profits from the initiative will go directly to supporting education. Several outcomes of this initiative, plastics converted to money for additional income, educational programs will be financed, plastics will literally disappear from the environment since it will be locked in concrete, and we will have a much cleaner and healthier community.

Plastics are everywhere, on the land, in the sea, and it pollutes the air. It can be seen on the beaches, in the rivers, in the sea, on the roads, and everywhere. Everyone is affected. By affecting the environment, plastics affect plant life and animal life. Humans must live in balance and harmony with the environment. One way of getting rid of plastics is burning, but this has devastating effects on the air we breathe and effects on the ozone layer which protects us. People is the contributing factor of the problem because they simply see plastics as a piece of trash and they find no value of it in their possession. Tossing it through the window, dropping it on the ground, or tossing it in the sea, to them, is getting rid of their trash. They don't see it any more and don't need to see it because it is simply a piece of trash. They do not see the effects of these actions because these are long-term, no immediate effects. So, a piece of plastic is useless. But, what if we make plastic have a monetary value? Plastics will now have worth for them. Everyone wants money. 

Two populations will be significantly affected by this initiative: the children of the community, hence the suggestion to associate the initiative to a school and the community members. With the project affiliated with a school and supporting education, all children will be educated about the devastating effects of plastics on the environment. They will see how they can literally and directly make money from removing plastics from the environment by collecting and selling to the center. They will also have an understanding of another direct impact of having the proceeds of the initiative financing the school with their learning materials, school tuition and fees, and even a feeding program. The community members will be able to generate an income by consciously knowing that the plastics they come in contact with may serve and improve their children's educational needs. As well, community members from low income or any can actually collect plastics and make an additional income for themselves to improve their lives or simply as a reward. In doing all this, everyone, from children to adult, will be working to solve the environmental crisis of plastics with immediate direct impact and long term indirect impact as well. 

The school (La Isla Carinosa Academy) or an investor will purchase the following and create a company called LICA Plastic Away (LICAPA) for the school: a) a plastic shredding machine, b) a large scale, and  c) a small bulldozer. The company will liaise with the local government to inform all community members and promote the idea that all plastics MUST be rinsed and delivered at LICAPA. The local government will have several meetings to share the idea and the effects of the initiative with the community for motivation and support. LICAPA will collaborate with building contractors on the island to purchase all their shredded plastic and sign an MOU.

Two persons will be hired to work at the site: youth in the community who will be paid according to the average wage of a person; teachers and students from the school's environmental club to work after school hours.

The first person will be responsible for collecting and weighing plastics and paying the community members who deliver, children or adults. Persons would be paid BZE$1 per pound of plastic. With this, everyone will be involved in saving their plastics simply knowing that it has monetary value. The idea of throwing away your plastics is like throwing away your money will always be in the minds of the community members.

The second person will be responsible for dumping the plastics into the shredder and operate the bulldozer to load the shredded plastics on a truck to be hauled by the building contractor. The building contractor will immediately pay BZE$50 per load of plastic. This is even cheaper than a load of sand. The building contractor will use the shredded plastics and mix into the sand, gravel, and cement to build their buildings, foundations, walkways, streets, fences, and any structures. In doing so, the community will permanently rid plastics forever from the environment. Plastics will literally be locked and secured in concrete.

The profits will be distributed to the investor (33%: return of investment and long-term returns), the school (33%: to contribute to purchasing classroom materials, feeding program, or scholarships for children or low-income families), and 34% for maintenance and upgrade of the LICAPA facility. The suggested formula can be negotiated with all stakeholders.

The next step would be to insert posters and billboards around the community that the community literally builds buildings using plastics thus ridding plastics from the environment, permanently.

This solution is innovative because it allows for the permanent ridding of plastics from the community, not simply recycling which still puts it back into the environment. It involves the entire community and especially children who will be significant agents for the protection of our planet in the future. This solution directly contributes to the education of the children of the very own community members who supports and participate. This solution has a triple positive impact on any one person participating and supporting: it provides a direct income, it supports the children's education, and it promotes a healthier community environment. The solution promotes a growth mindset to view plastics as an income generator as well as a solution to rid plastics from the environment to create a healthier society. Plastic will never be seen as simply trash, but will actually have value for individual families/homes, children's education, and the environment. 

This solution is not connect to an environmental theory, but rather to an educational theory of behaviorism and the concept of positive reinforcement (BF Skinner). It is human nature that people tend to respond to some kind of extrinsic motivation first before having a mind of automaticity (Piaget) or a mind shaped into a particular practice that facilitates intrinsic motivation. With positive reinforcement, persons will be tangibly rewarded for their trash via payment. After doing this for a period of time, some will even find out that taking the plastics away without the reward will be practiced from time to time. This will happen because they know that even if they are not paid for the plastics they deliver, the know that two things will happen: ultimately it still goes into children's education and plastics are removed from the environment. We still contribute to creating an educated society and a healthy environment.

So far, we are only collecting and sorting plastics at our school. After one year, we hope to be serving about 25% of the population, about 800 people. In the next 5 years, we hope that the entire community of Caye Caulker will be benefiting from this initiative plus practice in other parts of the country.

This solution will have significant environmental impact and it can be measured each year. Statistics are available with the collection of plastics from our land areas and water areas conducted by several organizations. After one year, we can review the statistics of the collection of their plastics to find out the impact of this solution.

The goal within the next year is to rid all plastics from the community of Caye Caulker. Within the next five year, the goal is to have community members searching the sea, neighboring islands, and land areas for plastics to bring to the center. In the next 5 years, the mindset of the people upon seeing a piece of trash floating in the area is to pick it up and save it to bring to the center. In the next 5 years, as they travel, even children will be working to pick up plastics only to know that they can submit that for payment, but also supporting their own education, and ultimately contributing to a cleaner and healthier environment. In the next 5 years, community members will be searching for ways to find plastics in the environment to improve their lives, support their child's education, and creating a health environment. 

We have 2 barriers right now that currently exist to the accomplishment of our goals.

1) The people is in a mentality that plastics is not a big issue. Why make a big fuss about it? They see that by just taking it away to the garbage disposal is good, ok, basically out of sight, out of mind. They do not comprehend the long term effect.

2) Next is the finance to purchase the equipment for the project. If the funds are secured, we hope to convince all of the overall benefit of the program.

To overcome the first challenge, we will work with the 4 schools in the island to promote the idea to the parents.

To overcome the second challenge, we will approach 2 investors in the community.

No, the solution is not yet being implemented. This is an original idea.

I am certainly planning to work with agents in Ministry of Foreign affairs to implement this idea in all of Latin America and the Caribbean. I will present at every forum or conference opportunity granted to me.

Alberto Luis August, Dennis Jimenez, Araceli August, Ernease Anderson,  Enelda Rosado, Valerie August

I feel that I am in the best position because, as the owner of a school, I have direct access to those I can impact and I have a very influential voice in my community. Through my school, and thereafter collaborating with the other 3 school institutions, I should create a ripple effect for my solution to permanently rid plastics from my community.

I am not partnering with any organization. I own a school and I will facilitate this solution via my school.

My business model is education. My school is an institution that provides high quality education with the slogan "Building Positive Intelligent Character." We have a motto of "Be Nice" and we operate with Climate Change and Sustainable Development practices to provide holistic education to children. Our children are immediately impacted by our institution. Additionally, the wider community benefits via the many activities we hold throughout the year for the public.

By bringing in the plastics and selling the shredded plastics to contractors, we will automatically be self-sustained. At one point, we will be generating a profit from the project. 

The main purpose for applying for this rethink plastics challenge is sincerely because I want to make a difference in my community and country as it relates to removing plastics from the environment. I opened and operate a school and we are a green school, and we practice and promote the idea of sustainable development and climate change effects. I would like my students and team at the school to know that we can do more to get rid of plastics. It is a great educational project that can start with the children getting them motivated. From an educational standpoint, it would be a great initiative to teach this generation of children about the effects of plastics. The adults in my society have a challenging time understanding the effects of plastics and keep polluting, so I want them to have a different view and change their mentality and ways of dealing with plastics in the environment.

I would like to partner with two organizations: the local government and the association of contractors. For the local government, it is mainly to garner their support to promote the initiative and even to develop policies for the sorting and disposing of garbage in the community. This would be to encourage businesses and households to learn to bag their plastics and deliver it to the recycle centre for processing.

With the contractors, for them to commit to visit the recycle center on a daily basis to collect the shredded plastics to mix in their concrete used for building projects.