The Problem: Plastic in the Ocean

Plastic in the oceans harms fisheries, aquaculture, tourism, and all of humanity on a global scale.

• Plastic in the ocean harms over 600 marine and avian species who can mistake it for food or become entangled in the debris.
• Trash on the coastline specifically poses a significant threat, as a majority of marine animals live very close to shores and nearby reefs.
• Pollutants in the ocean release toxins that poison the entire food web, humans included.

What’s Koh Tao got to do with ocean plastic?

• Waste from all over SE Asia enters waterways and ends up floating through the Gulf of Thailand.
  
• Koh Tao is the first island to intercept much of this trash as it travels out to the ocean.
  
• Thousands of kilograms of trash already fill the gaps of Koh Tao’s rocky shores, with more coming each day.
• Koh Tao may be a little island, but it will soon set the standard for how to use ocean plastic to build a sustainable future

The Solution: Clean Up, Upcycle, and Educate

Koh Tao Clean Up

Koh Tao Clean Up is a group of like-minded volunteers who believe in a sustainable future for Koh Tao’s shorelines, economy, tourism, buildings, and waste management. The mission of Koh Tao Clean Up is to transform Koh Tao by CLEANING UP the ocean plastic that litters its shores, UPCYCLING the collected trash into usable items, and EDUCATING about the impact plastic has on our planet and all living things.

Clean Up

• Continue to run clean up events every week along Koh Tao’s shoreline. So far, over 1000 bags of trash have been removed!
• Partner with local dive shops to clean reefs
• Sort collected trash for recycling and upcycling purposes
• Work within the tourism industry and local business to build and incentivize a strong volunteer-based service

Upcycle

• Koh Tao Clean Up is working with the local government to create a recycling management program and recycling plant for the island.
• Part of the recycling program will model Precious Plastic, a company that upcycles plastics into many useful items such as building materials, furniture, road tiles, buoys, bins, art, etc.
• Koh Tao Clean Up is partnering with other local groups to upcycle fishing nets and rope, flip flops, and other common trash items found along Koh Tao’s shores.

Educate

• Koh Tao Clean Up is working with the local government to inform local business practices about our plastic crisis and need for more sustainable practices
• One man’s trash is another man’s treasure! The upcycling plant will create a local economy for collecting and upcycling ocean plastic.
• We will engage locals and visitors alike through events, art, informational material, etc about how and why we should preserve Koh Tao for generations to come

We Need Your Help!

Our vision is big, but together we can achieve it.

Follow us on Facebook to learn more and track our progress.

Here is What Your Donation Can Buy (in Thai baht):

1000 Thai Baht (THB) is approximately: 25 Pound / 32 USD / 27 Euro / 220 Yuan / 3300 Yen / 167 Real

300: five packs of XL trash bags, usually enough for one clean up

500: cost for supplies to run a booth at a big event

1500: fuel and boat captain cost for one clean up event

3000: a comprehensive first aid kit

10k: a quality tool kit for clean ups including shovels, knives, and sieves

15k: a cordless outdoor vacuum clean for microplastics and Styrofoam particles

77k: one shredder machine kit for the upcycling plant

100k: one extrusion machine kit for the upcycling plant

For the love of Koh Tao, we thank you for contributing to our campaign and sharing our mission with your networks.