Plastrack: A Demand Side Solution to Marine Plastic Pollution
Plastic is everywhere. It’s cheap, easy to use, and hard to avoid. But the problem is, we’ve been treating it like it has no cost when in reality, the environment and our health are paying the price.
Every year, millions of tonnes of plastic end up in the ocean. At the same time, people are exposed to microplastics through food and water. Even though we try to recycle, only a small percentage actually gets reused. The main problem is simple: we are using more and more plastic every year.
So instead of just cleaning up plastic, PlasTrack focuses on the real issue: demand.
PlasTrack is a system that tracks how much plastic people use and adds a small cost when they buy products with high plastic content. It works automatically at checkout. When a product is scanned, the system reads how much plastic it contains and adds a fee if it’s too high. If the product uses less plastic, the user can even get rewards.
This means:
- High-plastic products become more expensive
- Low-plastic products become more attractive
Over time, people naturally choose better options to save money. As a result, companies are pushed to reduce plastic in their packaging.
What makes PlasTrack different is that it doesn’t rely on people caring or remembering. It simply changes the system so that better choices are also the cheaper ones.
In the future, this could lead to:
- Less plastic waste in the ocean
- Healthier environments and communities
- Smarter decisions from both consumers and companies
Plastic was never free, we just didn’t count the cost.
*This map and infographic on top created by me and my friends.