News - STOP! Micro Waste

19/10/2021, Ocean College in Porto, Portugal

As every year in autumn, we met the crew of the Ocean College, which consists of 35 students this year and is sailing on the sailing ship “The Pelican of London” for half a year. Our meeting took place on a city beach in Porto to deal with the (micro)plastic pollution in our environment.

We talked about plastic in nature and cleaned a large section of the beach. With some surprising finds, from cigarette butts and plastic bottles to flip flops and entire boxes made of Styrofoam, a lot ended up in our bags. Afterwards, at various learning stations, we took a closer look at the decomposition of plastic, synthetic textiles and their part in (micro)plastic pollution and did a plastic quiz.

For a plastic-free nature and see you next year!

07/11/2020 The Great Bubble Barrier, Amsterdam

One year ago, the Bubble Barrier Amsterdam has been placed in the canal of the Westerdok to clean up the river from waste of all kinds.

This STOP! Station has been catching thousands of cigarette filters, candy packaging, and also sleeping bags, scooter helmets and surfboards. The ongoing research is showing the amount of plastic waste items found, the origin of these items, and the composition of the materials. We are looking forward to continuing communication about (micro)plastic pollution and to trigger solutions preventing plastic ending up in nature.

07/11/2020 The Great Bubble Barrier, Amsterdam

One year ago, the Bubble Barrier Amsterdam has been placed in the canal of the Westerdok to clean up the river from waste of all kinds.

04/10/2020, Ocean College

From the western coast of Europe, across the Atlantic to the Caribbean islands – The students of the Ocean College set sails again. They examine water samples, learn about sources of microplastic pollution and do beach clean-ups with STOP! Micro Waste and local partners. For a plastic free nature.

02/14/2020-02/16/2020, STOP! Plastic Academy, Germany

In order to be able to reach as many people as possible with our CLD (Collect-Learn-Dispose) actions, we train coaches in our train-the-trainer workshops. The participants arrived from all over Germany to learn in the 3-day workshop how plastic is created, how it becomes microplastic and what impact it has on the environment, health and climate. We look forward to the STOP!Plastic Coaches soon being able to pass on their freshly learned knowledge in selected institutions.

12/02/2020, OECD, Paris

The OECD invited us to Paris to discuss solutions and policies to prevent microfiber pollution from synthetic textiles. With 35% microfibers are a major source of microplastic pollution in our oceans. It needs a joint effort from industry, legislators, consumers and civil society to stop microfibers from entering nature.

05/06/2019, STOP! Plastic Academy, Havel River, Berlin

The STOP! Plastic Academy links education with activities in nature to spread the word about (micro)plastic pollution. This week, a third grade spend a day with our STOP! Plastic Coaches on the river side in Berlin. At four STOP! Stations they learned about plastics, recycling and sustainable alternatives. We are very impressed by their motivation to share their experiences and how they actively aim to protect nature.

17/04/2019, University of Notre Dame, Australia

Education is the basis for a change. These enthusiastic kids from Moerlina School, Australia, cleaned the beach, as part of their weekly beach school, conducted by our Australian STOP! Micro Waste representative Claire O’Loughlin. She is the founder of Ocean Remedy swimwear and researches microplastic from fashion and laundry waste at the University of Notre Dame Australia

16/03/2019, United Nation Environment Assembly, Kenya

The governments of Canada and Kenya invited us to talk about microplastic pollution at the United Nation Environment Assembly in Nairobi. We raised awareness about plastic pollution, discussed solutions and introduced the STOP! Plastic Academy to UN delegates and members of the UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion.

We have seen good examples on how to fight the plastic epidemic from Mexico, Indonesia and Chile. Overall, we still see way too much talking instead of finding common ground to take concrete actions.

Let’s switch from talk to action. Now.

30/01/2019, Ocean College, Costa Rica

Four months ago, the Ocean College set sails with 30 young students on board. The six-months journey will turn them into (micro)plastic experts. They will learn everything about microplastic pollution first-hand, use the Guppyfriend washing bag and do beach cleanups. Once back they will teach their peers on how to avoid (micro)plastic and to create stop! stations.

18/01/2019, NEONYT, Berlin

We are happy that so many more people are aware of the microplastic problem than at the last eco fashion show in Berlin.
It’s great to see that individuals and organizations are more and more motivated to actively fight the problem. Buying less, but better is a start.

09/11/2018, Espinho, Portugal

STOP! Micro Waste aims to communicate the problem of micro plastic pollution and to initiate solutions to address the challenges. During our STOP! Micro Waste congress in Portugal we informed and discussed with representatives of the shoe and textile industry solutions to reduce (micro)plastic and improve recycling activities in production processes and facilities. We also spend a day at the beach for a clean up. Once you have seen the plastic on the beaches, you can’t unsee it. Reduce single use plastic whenever and whereever you can.

08/11/2018, Ocean College, UK

The STOP! Plastic Academy is on board with the Ocean College again.
The soon to be STOP! Plastic Coaches are sailing across the Atlantic for six months on an educational exchange program. They are trained to be plastic experts and will be able to raise awareness even long after they’ve completed this amazing adventure! They do laundry with Guppyfriend washing bag, do beach cleanups and collect micro plastic samples from all over the world.
Education about microplastic needs to be a part of any education!

26/10/2018, Ocean Plastic Lab, Berlin, Germany

The Ocean Plastic Lab has arrived in Berlin.

The international exhibition travels around the globe and showcases the contribution of science to understand and tackle the problem of plastics in the ocean. In an interactive lab you can explore the plastic problem and the challenges we are facing. The Guppyfriend washing bag is part of the exhibition, too.

12/10/2018, STOP! Plastic Academy, Germany

We aim to reach as many people as possible to raise awareness about microplastic pollution and how to prevent it. For that matter we establish the STOP! Plastic Academy along with a train-the-trainer program. Last week, Emma, Cassandra, Mathilda and Clara from Sweden came to visit to help us communicate the issue. All students will aquire the ability to pass the learnings on to their peers and build their own local STOP! Stations to prevent microplastic in nature.

10/10/2018, STOP! Micro Waste, Germany

Gaia x STOP! Micro Waste.
STOP! Micro Waste aims to develop and initiate solutions resulting in behavior change and less plastic in the environment. The beeswax paper from Gaia Wrap leads the way to a more sustainable lifestyle. Gaia provides a reusable alternative to plastic foil, but also offers sustainability workshops at local markets, festivals and shop locations. We are proud to have them as a STOP! Micro Waste partner. With each product sold, they support the STOP! Plastic Academy and help us to raise awareness about (micro)plastic pollution.

13/07/2018, STOP! Plastic Academy, Norway

Last week the STOP! Plastic Academy stopped in Oslo to talk about microplastic pollution.
During the workshop we explained the current situation presented latest studies on the topic of microplastics and discussed potential solutions to prevent plastics ending up in nature.
Support us in spreading the word. The problem is bigger than you think (no matter how big you think it is – honestly).
Education about microplastic needs to be a part of any education!

12/06/2018, STOP! Plastic Academy, Berlin, Germany

‚We have heard about the threat caused by tiny plastic particles, but why isn’t the industry changing things for the better? Why don’t we have laws in place taking care of this? How can it be legal to jeopardize our health? What can we do to stop this?’

Questions from a vivid discussion with 10th and 12th graders from the Ernst Reuter Oberschule in Berlin – following an introduction of the microplastic topic and the film plastic planet. Thanks for organizing and having the STOP! Plastic Academy presenting research results and possible solutions to prevent microplastics ending up in nature.

24/03/2018, Berlin Travel Festival, Germany

The last three days, STOP! Micro Waste was at the Travel Festival in Berlin to raise awareness about micro plastic pollution. It was really interesting to talk to a lot of people from different backgrounds. Microplastic pollution is still not as known as it needs to be. Spread the word and talk to your friends and families to STOP! Micro Waste.

12/03/2018, STOP! Plastic Academy, Ventura

STOP! Micro Waste recently had the pleasure to meet the Robotic Class of the Cabrillo Middle School in Ventura. They raise awareness about microfiber pollution and think about solutions on how to stop microplastics ending up in nature. Thanks for having us and good luck for the international competition in Arkansas!

27/02/2018, Message in a Bottle, San Francisco

Thanks to Surfrider Foundation San Francisco Chapter for inviting us to Message in a Bottle 2018 – an art and education event focusing on ocean plastic pollution. Three exiting days of workshops, discussion rounds and art performances around the topic of plastics and the ocean at The Venue at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco.

We have never seen so many school kids dedicated to the topic of plastic pollution! They were absolutely determined to stop plastic ending up in nature.