Today, nearly 80% of materials intended for recycling end up in our environment - landfills, the air and our waterways and oceans.
This is unnecessary and unacceptable - and Planet Protectors offer a better solution.
Our Impact
Planet Protectors is organized to reduce the quantity of refuse going into landfills and ultimately into the environment through reuse, recycling and reduction of use of packaging and other materials.
We believe that a zero-waste society is possible, and that through innovation, cooperation and technology, all materials will ultimately be able to be reused or recycled.
Starting with specific, highly recyclable plastics (Type 2 and 4), we have proven our model works locally in the Santa Barbara area; we are now scaling into a durable system that can be implemented anywhere, while expanding from small-scale to large-volume recycling of these materials.
The vision of Planet Protectors is to eventually divert all virgin waste away from landfills and toward useful purposes.
“Imagine a world without landfills! I believe everything can be reused, recycled, repaired, and rotted (composted and digested). Nature already works this way. Together, humans have the power to rethink our consumer impact and significantly change the way we get rid of waste. Let’s redefine trash!”
Sasha Ablitt
Drowning In Our Own Trash
Our recycling system is broken: Only single source recyclables are actually recycled Most consumers have no idea what “single source recyclable” means.
The current solution, pushed through trash haulers under pressure to provide recycling solutions, have dis-empowered the public, by providing a recycle bin where over 80% is going to landfill.
The truth is, trash companies are not the solution to our recycling problems.
How Did We Get Here?
For decades, the advancement in access & convenience, combined with lower costs of product manufacturing and packaging have resulted an exponential increase in refuse entering our environment.
While the myriad costs and burdens of processing that refuse have been “exported” with globalization, the impact of the simple math behind waste trends is obvious: We are on an inevitable path to drown in our own garbage.
And despite public concern over these trends, current solutions are an utter failure.
- According to many sources, more than 80% of materials put into recycling bins in the U.S. end up in the environment – mostly in landfills – for various reasons. This is causing a number of downstream problems that are mounting faster than they are being solved:
- Landfill space is decreasing, while costs are increasing.
- Waste materials harmful to all types of life in Earth are appearing in the sky, sea earth, water and even in the blood and tissues of all creatures – including humans.
- The related effects are manifesting as crises in both health and food supply.
- There is a severe lack of understanding among consumers about what can be done to address waste entering our environment.
- Certain types of plastic, such as grocery store and similar type bags, are easily blown away from landfills, ending up in our oceans, open spaces, and every nook of the greater environment where they contribute to a wide variety of environmental problems and negatively impact wildlife.
- Packaging trends are putting more of these materials into use every year, despite consumers’ desire to reduce needless material use.
- Even those consumers and industry players who are aware of the problems inherent in the recycling/waste industries are not aware of them, and have failed to collaborate around rational solutions available today.
Our Economically Sustainable Solution:
Recycling-Reusing Type 2 and Type 4 Plastics
Planet Protectors’ primary program is purposed to divert Type 2 and Type 4 plastics from landfills. Currently we achieve this by holding weekly recycling events at a retail drycleaning business location. The program currently processes more than 2,000 pounds per month.
The organization participates in a program sponsored by the Trex Corporation.
According to the company’s website, Trex, “the world’s largest manufacturer of high-performance, wood-alternative decking and railing, is enlisting communities and organizations to partner in its robust recycling efforts. The … NexTrex® Grassroots Movement provides a turnkey framework for municipalities, universities, nonprofits and other qualifying businesses to serve as centralized drop-off locations for recycling polyethylene plastic film while earning funds for their organizations. Each grassroots partner is equipped with a baler, which is housed on site for use in bundling and weighing recycled plastic material.”
Join & Take Action
Each week, Sasha Ablitt and a group of dedicated employees and volunteers set up shop at Ablitt’s to greet dozens of enthusiastic individuals from our local community, who are excited and passionate about making a tangible difference in our environment and our future. But participating in this program is only one of the ways you can help.
There are three primary ways your help can make a huge difference in the success of Planet Protectors’ mission:
