Through our network of MBRC Cleaning Hubs, our team of 4.000 dedicated waste collectors and volunteers organize cleanups every day all over the world. From Iceland to Australia, Indonesia to Costa Rica, the MBRC cleaning hubs have a huge impact on the local environment and communities.
MBRC cleaning hub communities are provided with garbage bags and shown how to separate their household waste into organic, recyclable and non-recyclable waste directly at home and to dispose of the bags in the waste bins provided in central locations by MBRC. The bins are collected, emptied and cleaned on a regular basis by waste collectors employed by MBRC and the waste transferred to the main MBRC waste management facility.
The communities are also provided with equipment to clean up, collect and recycle the waste found on the beaches and coastline. Every week MBRC organizes a cleanup event at each of the cleaning hubs, employing up to 100 waste collectors and welcoming volunteers, including children from the local schools. As with the domestic waste, whatever is found on the coastline is also brought to the main waste management facility. Regular briefings are held at cleanup events: by active involvement in cleaning their local beaches the locals gain a greater sense of responsibility and understanding of the plastic waste problem.
Working together with local communities, MBRC implements a sustainable waste management system, ensuring that the plastic collected is cleaned, packed and transported to local recycling plants and that the recycled plastic re-enters the market.
Recyclable material is collected at the main hub, where it is counted, compressed, baled, weighed, and prepared for transportation. The recyclable plastic, usually in the shape of bottles, packaging, containers and bags (a combination of PET (polyethylene terephthalate), HDPE (high-density polyethylene), LDPE (low-density polyethylene) and PP (polypropylene)) is transported to the closest certified recycling plant. The recyclate is washed and shredded before undergoing the mechanical recycling process during which it is melted and reformed into flakes, pellets or yarn.
Raising awareness about waste, recycling and sustainability, MBRC has developed an educational program dedicated to helping those most impacted by ocean plastic understand its sources and discover the solutions. Only when we understand the problem can we hope to stop it.
Workshops and presentations are held at local schools and community centres near the cleaning hubs for both children and adults so that they can understand the impact of plastic waste on the marine environment and on their lives. The waste collection, cleanup and recycling programmes run concurrently with lessons, information briefings and workshops held in the local schools. Local teachers are provided with educational material and resources to teach school children about the origins of plastic and the problems associated with single-use plastic, while exploring solutions to the ocean plastic problem. Workshops and presentations are also organized for adults and a briefing is held at each cleanup to inform the waste collectors and volunteers about the ocean plastic problem.
Our more than 100 MBRC the Ocean Cleaning Hubs are located in over 30 countries worldwide and we are constantly growing. We’re working with local communities in some of the most plastic-damaged regions to create permanent cleaning hubs – hiring staff on the ground could be empowering local communities, giving work to locals and providing the tools.
The MBRC Academy offers two online courses for students and adults looking to make waves in the world of ocean sustainability. We are proud of our beach cleanups and recycled wares, but they’re a drop in the ocean compared to the power of educating the world on ocean sustainability, which is why we offer two online courses, free of charge, for you to follow at your own pace.
The ocean plastic course is a much more detailed course, with four modules and 52 chapters, one for every week of the year. This course is tailored to provide you with a well-rounded awareness and understanding of the ocean, marine environmental pollution, and in particular the plastic challenge. Each chapter introduces you to a new subject, dives deeper into one specific topic and puts the spotlight on a relevant organization or project. Links to further information in the form of articles, reports, documentaries, films, podcasts or websites are provided, as is a selection of takeaways from the chapter highlighting some of the main facts and suggesting some positive to take. Quizzes provide a chance to test your knowledge after each module. You should complete the course having gained a deeper all-round knowledge of our ocean, the ocean plastic problem, and what you can do to help restore the ocean.
Interested? Then sign up today and start your journey with the MBRC Academy!
For those looking for a succinct introduction to the plastic problem then the MBRC plastic crash course could be for you. The course focusses on the origins and impact of plastic, on the parallel avenues of regulating production and cleaning up the plastic that is already polluting the ocean and at ways you can kick your plastic habit. Each of the five chapters takes just 20 to 30 minutes to complete.
MBRC Ambassadors come from all walks of life but the clear resemblance between them is their unconditional love for the oceans. Whether scientific, professional or for leisure, the oceans play a huge part in their lives.
EDEKA Struve
Germany
International Model
Indonesia
CEO STRÖER Media
Germany
Project Director Reefs
Maldives
MBRC Academy
Course Instructor
Germany
Ambassador
Tanzania
Become a part of the MBRC Ambassador community and help us making regular progress in cleaning our oceans together.
