Full Circle Belize
- Nombre
- Pantaleon
- Apellido
- Escobar
- ¿En qué fase está tu propuesta?
- Idea phase
- ¿En qué categoría quieres inscribir tu idea?
- Employment
- Describe la necesidad o problema que deseas abordar
- In 2015, the World Economic Forum estimated that, by 2050, there would be more plastic than fish in the world's oceans in terms of weight, even though 80% of the plastic produced in the world is recyclable. For this, our venture seeks to reduce the massive amounts of plastic waste present in Belize’s ecosystems. The 25 kilometers of the Peninsula’s coastline are especially susceptible to plastic pollution, not only because it directly affects its rich biodiversity and ecosystems, which include part of the Belize Barrier Reef – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – several natural white-sanded beaches, a virgin mangrove-fringed lagoon, nearby rivers and a pristine rainforest. But, because it creates large quantities of garbage and pollution from 4,000 residents and several thousand tourists visiting the Peninsula every year, one of the top tourist attractions in the country. Outside major cities, Belize’s waste management system is practically non-existent and there are very few recycling programs located in northern areas of the country. Furthermore, littering and the burning of trash is a common practice and improvised and unfit dumpsites are abundant. The venture seeks to reduce plastic waste and improve recycling services in the area. Precious Plastic initiatives are able to reuse plastic that is not commonly recycled such as plastic bags and bottle caps.In Santa Cruz village and surroundings, most people work in the tourism and agricultural sector or are forced to migrate to bigger cities and abroad in search of different jobs; the Peninsula lacks other sources of employment and income generation activities. Moreover, Belize relies heavily on the import of goods and exports most of its raw materials. By establishing the Precious Plastic model, we aim to create new jobs, diversify production, and reduce migration rates. Our venture will employ young females and males that do not have the resources to continue their education and want to develop their entrepreneurial skills. And, through education sessions and door-to-door visits, the venture seeks to increase awareness and knowledge about local and responsible production and consumption; critical behavioral changes that are not being demanded by its leaders and residents nor are being reinforced in school curriculums and communication campaigns.
- ¿Cuál es el principal producto o servicio que ofrecerás?
- The venture will make home décor items and furniture and will provide plastic-collection and training services. PRODUCTS: The catalog of products created will vary according to the public’s demand and will increase complexity as the production team’s skills develop over time. During the first year, production will start with items that are easy to make and that have proven attractive for other Precious Plastic Initiatives worldwide. Creations will include but not be limited to: flower pots, keychain holders, dish/serving trays, cell phone stands, bowls, coffee tables, and sitting stools. Photos of the products have been displayed in the photo section of this application; the images correspond to products created by Plastichunches, a Mexican Precious Plastic-based business and a potential partner of the project. As many products will be targeted to tourists, production will include items that depict the country’s name and highlights. SERVICES: To feed production with raw materials - plastic - the venture will create agreements with restaurants, hotels and stores in Santa Cruz and nearby villages to install plastic collection bins for people to drop-off their used containers. A collection bin will also be located at the venture’s store and training center. When presenting and implementing collection services, team members will inform potential and current bin-collection holders about the dangers of plastic and the importance of sustainable production and consumption. For the same purpose and to promote recycling from more households, additional education sessions will be held at participating schools and plastic collection bins will be installed at the compounds. The venture will establish a collection schedule throughput the Peninsula Placencia and will also be able to empty bins upon request. Additionally, the general public and student groups will be invited to participate in manufacturing sessions at the store in Santa Cruz Village. Manufacturing sessions will be held on afternoons, weekdays and by appointment. The sessions will allow the public to gain experience in the creation of objects with repurposed materials while increasing their knowledge about plastic pollution and assisting the team in the production of repurposed items.
- Describe brevemente la comunidad o población que se beneficiará de tu solución y de cómo planeas involucrarlos en el proyecto
- Like most rural villages in Belize, the targeted communities - Santa Cruz, Riversdale, Maya Beach, Seine Bight, and Placencia - have poor access to services, low levels of educational attainment, insufficient infrastructure, and limited resilience capacity while a significant portion of the population is living below the poverty line. Overall, the targeted area is conformed by many migrant groups from EI Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua as well as indigenous (Maya) populations, Seine Bight is in its majority conformed by Garifuna groups and, many expats from Europe and North America have relocated across the Peninsula to work mostly in the hospitality industry or to retire. The venture will benefit all residents, by offering them a way to adequately dispose of plastic that would generally get burned or littered in residential and inhabited areas and that ultimately reach the ocean. By reducing the burning of plastic, residents will lower exposure to toxic chemicals and the collection of plastic will help reduce the amount of trash currently present on roads and beaches. Our local recycling service will facilitate and optimize residents’ efforts to adequately dispose of plastic and, as the venture grows and more people attend to manufacturing sessions, it will also allow residents to consider jobs that are not centered on agriculture and hospitality services while allowing buyers to choose local products that are socially and ecologically responsible. The youths involved in setting up and managing the venture - who come from vulnerable backgrounds - will be the ones that are most involved in the project. Together with the project team, they will decide the designs and products to be created, sales strategies, overall operations, and venture expansion plans. Through the venture, they will generate income to operate the business and to pay for their salaries; HPPBZ will play the role of a technical partner that does not profit from the project and business sales. Bin-collection holders and school staff will be the second most active stakeholder for the project, they will provide the venture with raw materials along with space and participants with whom to implement education sessions. Different community members will be involved in the project when they participate in education and manufacturing sessions and by bringing their plastic containers to different collection areas.
- ¿Tiene tu propuesta un modelo de negocio (es decir, una estrategia para generar ingresos)? Por favor describe
- Revenue will be created by the sales of home decor items and furniture. Plastic collection and education services will be offered free of charge as the raw material (plastic) and manufacturing assistance from the public (during education sessions) will be provided by the public for free. With reused plastic, each product has a unique set of colors that has a marble-like appearance. Accordingly, rather than selling few products at high prices, the business seeks to sell large amounts of unique high design products at affordable prices that are accessible to residents, expats, and tourists. In US dollars the items will cost: Trays $10 to $20, cell phone holders $10, key chain hangers $10 to $15, flower pots $6 to $15, pot hangers $10, serving bowls $10 to $20. Income will be used to pay salaries of youths and operations costs. The surplus will serve to upkeep the space rented in Santa Cruz Village as well as to improve services and expand the venture into new territories.
Galería de imagenes
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positiva para el mundo?
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Entrega tu apoyo a "Full Circle Belize"
¿Crees que esta idea es
positiva para el mundo?
Apoyar idea
Entrega tu apoyo a "Full Circle Belize"
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