Faq
WHAT IS PLASTIC FISCHER’S VISION?
WHAT IS THE 3L INITIATIVE?
ABOUT THE TRASHBOOM
WHAT ARE WE DOING WITH THE COLLECTED WASTE?
HOW ARE WE FINANCED?
HOW YOU CAN CLEAN RIVERS AND SAVE OCEANS
DO WE COLLECT MICROPLASTIC?
FISH AND MARINE LIFE
BOATS
VOLUNTEERING OPTIONS AT PLASTIC FISCHER
More
How much plastic can be stopped with a trash boom?
Our regular TrashBooms are designed to hold up to 5 t of plastic waste. How much it actually stops per highly depends on the location and weather circumstances. On average, one system stops more than 1 ton of River Plastic per month.
Why are we focusing on rivers?
More than 80% of the plastic in the oceans is coming from rivers. Imagine an hourglass: The sand represents the plastic, the top of the glass symbolizes the land, the bottom serves as the oceans. The ,,bottleneck“ between top and bottom are the rivers. It is way easier to collect it right here compared to the oceans where it already spreaded and broke down into microplastic.
How long does a trash boom last?
We deployed and kept one TrashBoom in the Citarum River in September 2019 and so far, it works without showing any signs of failure.
How do we collect the waste stopped by trash booms?
It depends on the site. Usually, the plastic is collected manually with hand nets. We are also working on innovative semi-automated ways of collecting.
Where do we install our systems?
We are focussing on emerging countries and right now operating in Indonesia and India.
Are we shipping our system worldwide?
Our philosophy is not shipping them anywhere but building them in place with locally available materials. We published our construction plans and blueprints of our proven TrashBoom technology on our website.
Why did you decide to go open source?
We received so many requests from all over the world to install a TrashBoom. Our company exists to efficiently stop as much plastic from entering the oceans as possible. With the open source approach we hope to motivate and support people that are as dedicated as we are to take action against the global crisis. We need to support each other and work together if we want to create a significant impact!
Why for-profit and not NGO?
When we decided to found a company we wanted to have the freedom to do whatever it takes to create as much impact as possible without always double-checking if it complies with the NGO-regulations. With a working business model we do not depend on donations to operate and scale. This is why we do not spend thousands of euros on marketing or production and sales of bracelets or similar.
This company exists with the absolute purpose to stop plastic waste ending up in the oceans and killing marine life and we invest all our money directly into impact.
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