Upcycling the Oceans is the main project of the Ecoalf Foundation and undoubtedly the most ambitious; an unprecedented worldwide adventure that fights against marine litter with the help of the fishing sector. An initiative of international scope that was born in Spain in 2015 and since then has also been implemented in Thailand, Greece, Italy and France. Ecoalf Foundation is currently working on its expansion to other countries in the Mediterranean basin.
Meet our heroes
01. RECOVER
More than 4,200 fishermen collaborate daily with the project on a voluntary basis to recover the trash caught in their nets.
02. SEPARATE
Waste is deposited in specific containers at the port and periodically transported to treatment plants for sorting.
03. RECYCLE
The various selected materials are converted back into raw material. In particular, the plastic waste is transformed into flakes and pellets, ready for a new life.
01. RECOVER
Recycled marine debris has different applications. One example is the conversion of PET plastic into polyester yarn for use in the textile industry.
The objectives of Upcycling the Oceans are: to collaborate in cleaning up the oceans, to give a second life to recovered garbage and to raise awareness of the problem in order to prevent it.
HISTORICAL RESULTS
2015
1 country
9 ports
23 tonnes
2016
1 country
9ports
77 tons
2017
2 countries
32 ports
190 tons
2018
2 countries
37 ports
330 tons
2019
2 countries
40 ports
482 tons
2020
4 countries
47 ports
724 tons
2021
4 countries
54 ports
1048 tons
2022
4 countries
69 ports
1414 tons
2023
5 countries
72 ports
1704 tons
The fishermen are the real heroes of this project. Every day they collect the garbage that is accidentally caught in their nets, take it to port and deposit it in specific containers to prevent it from being mixed with other waste streams. Periodically, this waste is transported to treatment plants where it is sorted to facilitate its subsequent recycling and conversion into new products.
