KarunaNews Story

Plastic waste accumulates on the white sand beaches of Tierra Bomba in Colombia, and local attempts to address it have stalled because they have been so successful. Amigos del Mar foundation, which provides social support and teaches water sports, set up the Olas Paz (Clean Wave) program, transforming thousands of plastic bottle caps into surfboard fins. Although it has stalled temporarily, local families still collect and store bottle caps in their homes. Its plastic bank, where residents could get household goods if they handed in bottle caps, also is on hold. Children who attend all their school classes during the week can take part in the group’s weekly surfing lesson. The Colombian government recently implemented a new law to ban eight types of single-use plastics.