Imperial College London hosts Plastic Hackathon

Teams of students have worked together to find innovative solutions to the global plastics problem at a hackathon in London.

The Plastic Hackathon event challenged teams to find solutions to the plastic pollution problems associated with ordering takeaways, personal care, grab and go food, as well as internet and grocery shopping.

The winning team, “Mindful Minis: Sample, Travel, Repeat”, focused their efforts on reducing the plastic pollution cost of airport security, where an estimated 5000 tonnes of plastic waste is thrown away every year.

They pitched a system of pop up shops selling reusable pouches of cosmetics which could then be returned and reused at other airports with partnered stores.

Dhruv Boruah, Founder of The Thames Project and prominent plastics campaigner, who developed the event, said: “The increase in initiatives tackling plastic, sustainability and the environment is a step forward to the ever-growing problem posed by the world’s obsession with plastic, but we also need to ensure collaboration across the entire value chain and common standards.”

 Via the Evening Standard