Dow joins forces with thousands of volunteers to collect 6.5 tons of marine debris on 2022 International Coastal Cleanup Day

This event has been organized for twenty consecutive years to stop plastic waste from entering the environment and to create awareness around waste sorting at the source. Dow’s volunteers joined forces with over 3,300 volunteers to pick up more than 6,500 kilograms of garbage around the coastal area and put recycling wastes to use according to the circular economy, while aiming to create awareness of sustainable solutions for marine debris.

Dow employees around the world have joined with the Ocean Conservancy to conduct the “International Coastal Cleanup,” which is a global campaign for collecting coastal waste on the 3rd Saturday of September every year, and which is in its 37th year (and 20th year in Thailand). This year, Dow collaborated with the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand and other organizations that are concerned about the environment; collecting garbage over more than twenty-five kilometers in the areas of Hat Nam Rin, Hat Phayun, Hat Phla in Ban Chang district, and Hat Suchada, Hat Saengchan, Hat Laemchareon, and Hat Mae Ramphueng in Mueng district, Rayong province—which contain all the important tourist attractions in the province. This campaign aims to drive collaboration among worldwide employees, clients, communities, and partners to reuse and recycle one million tons of plastic waste by 2030.

Chatchai Luanpolcharoenchai, Dow Thailand President, said “Dow aims to build a sustainable society and community, especially to “stop plastic waste” and prevent it from entering the environment. Plastics are too valuable as materials to be disposed of as waste because we can recycle used plastics effectively and repeatedly, recycling them according to the circular economy. Today’s campaign is intended not only to bring back beautiful nature temporarily, but—most importantly—to make the volunteers see how garbage ends up in coastal areas, find solutions on their own, and have the self-determination to go back and sort waste from the beginning. This will lead to sustainable solutions for marine debris.”

Dow’s campaign not only provides opportunities to various sectors for collecting coastal waste, which is a solution for endpoint problems, but also creates awareness of proactively preventing problems at the beginning by supporting waste sorting in households; especially used plastics—reducing contamination through reuse and recycling. The campaign “Separate and Exchange Bags” allows people to bring 125 pieces of polyethylene plastic (e.g., handling bags, ice bags, rice bags, and water bottle-wrapped films) to exchange for a Dow Green Earth Bag at the event. More than 8,000 bags were collected and sent to the youth group “Dow Asar Pa Pai Rak'' for further use in the “Green Challenge BKW x Dow” project of Banchangkarnchanakul Wittaya School; producing income by distributing used plastics to recycling factories to be processed into other products.

Dow also held an educational exhibition on innovative packaging that is 100% recyclable. Plastic pellets, when combined with 40% of post-consumer recycled resin, can be produced into shrink films that retain properties equivalent to the films made from new plastic pellets. This shrink film is a transparent film for packaging beverages, shampoo, lotion, etc. Other upcycling technologies were showcased such as using recycled plastics for making roads, paving bricks, artificial pallets, etc. Dow also collaborated with Banchang Municipality and the community to organize a workshop on making paving bricks and plant pots from plastic waste and decoupage art from used coffee cups; showing participants how to create value with non-recyclable plastics.

Ruengrit Prakobtham, Ban Chang District Chief, said “As a Rayong citizen, I am proud to see companies, organizations, and volunteers collecting coastal waste together and bringing back the beauty of the beach, which is particularly important for us. Marine debris problems can be solved if we prevent them from the beginning by recycling waste out of the food waste we generate at home—making it convenient for the responsible governmental sector to deal with the garbage. The private sector will solve problems through technology. Everybody has a key role because this world does not belong to a specific person, but to all of us.”

The organizations that collaborated with Dow to organize the International Coastal Day in Ban Chang district this year were Solvay Group, PTT Asahi Chemical Co., Ltd., NS-Siam United Steel Co., Ltd., Hidaka Yookoo Enterprises Co., Ltd., and the Federation of Thai Industries. Even though COVID-19 still requires preventive measures, preserving the environment is also important and can be done together. This year's campaign was adjusted to arrange for social distancing, wearing masks during the campaign, and with strict screening of the participants to make sure that all volunteers could participate in the activity safely.