(calm music)
- Haiti is faced with one
of the biggest challenges
environmentally in the world.
Most people, when they see
the huge amount of plastic
or huge amount of trash
out in the community,
it discourages them and they
try to drive away from it.
That's why I took it upon
myself to try to make a change.
I know I can't do it all,
but if I can only take one
bottle out of that trash,
that's one bottle less prevented
from going into the ocean.
(energetic music)
The Plastic Bank is a
company that pays people
to collect plastic within the community,
preventing the plastic
from going into the ocean.
The vast majority of the plastic
that are entering the ocean
is coming from poor countries.
In order to make a change we
have to attack the problem;
and the problem is poverty.
The top priority I would
say in Haiti would be
to put food on the table.
People doesn't have the
proper knowledge of how
to properly dispose of any waste.
Basically, the Plastic Bank
is cleaning up our environment
and, at the same time,
alleviating poverty.
(calm music)
I was born in Haiti;
did all my studies in the United States.
I never understood what recycling meant
until I came here and
realized how important it was.
That's when it dawned on me
that I have to make a change;
I have to tell people; I have to make sure
that people understand
that they cannot just throw
this stuff on the ground, we
have to be more responsible.
(energetic music)
Each day these collectors, they go out,
they collect this plastic.
After the plastic has been collected,
it's taken to a center where it's weighted
and, in return, you can
get cash or other services
for that plastic.
From there, we do our own inspection
and get ready for transport.
My daily work consist of going
around the centers, you know,
making sure the managers are
treating the collectors right,
going around to the collective sites,
making sure that the plastic
that they collect get
transported in a sufficient time,
so they don't have to wait on their money.
(speaking in foreign language)
In a month, we collect a
mass volume of plastic.
You'll be amazed how
much plastic we collect.
Plastic Bank has 30 collection
centers all throughout Haiti.
Each center has over 75 collectors.
This center right here, in a month,
we could make at least 19,000 pounds.
(motivating music)
We're employing people who
are in need, at the same time,
we're taking more plastic
out of the environment.
That's why companies are
willing to pay a little bit more
because we're creating a
positive change in Haiti.
(sober music)
What drives me to keep
doing this every day,
is the people that I
see doing it every day.
They're my greatest
inspiration because you have
to be strong in order to live;
to survive you have to be a fighter.
We are in a really bad
environmental state in Haiti,
so whatever we can do to
get it done is what we do.
(inspirational music)
This is a global issue.
We have one planet, which is our home.
Everyone needs to pull together
and try to solve this problem.
