In the state of Kerala, India local fishermen are transforming ocean garbage into new asphalt roads for their community.
The problem is that plastic waste is filling up their fishing nets instead of fish! They are now protecting their livelihood by taking it upon themselves to clean up the plastic pollution.
In 2017 the government instituted the clean seas initiative. Now thousands of people working on over 3,000 boats are making that happen.
How does it work?
The fishermen take all the plastic trapped in their nets and collect it into nylon bags. It is later shredded and mixed with asphalt to make roads.
As of April the project has collected 176,000 pounds of plastic out of the ocean waters! It has been recycled towards creating 84 miles of road.
“Previously, we didn’t care much about the plastic we collected in our nets,” Peter Mathias, president of the All Kerala Fishing Boat Operators’ Association, told the Guardian. “But not any more—we’re now protecting the ocean to save our livelihoods. Had we continued to be reckless, there wouldn’t have been any more fish for us to catch.” – source