*without weight slips
**Flood operation in the Eifel: Waste not sold as plastic credits due to the emergency situation
Since May 2023, we have been on a mission in Thailand, more precisely, in Bangkok along the Chao Phraya. This river is the most polluted one in Thailand. In close cooperation with our partner, the TerraCycle Thai Foundation, we are actively committed to cleaning. We are currently in the process of building a sorting plant to ensure efficient handling of the collected waste. Our efforts are focused on creating long-term solutions.
We have been actively involved in Cambodia since August 2022, with our main focus on the Mekong in Phnom Penh. Here, together with our local partner River Ocean Cleanup, we operate the Zero Waste Center to sort the collected material. Since March 2023, we have also expanded our presence to Siem Reap. By working closely with numerous local partners, we not only strive for effective waste management but are also committed to long-term, sustainable solutions.
We have been actively involved in various missions in Eastern Europe since 2021. We have been working in Albania in the Kukës region since May 2024. Our waste collection boat is in use at Lake Fierza on the Drin, and we also clean up the riverbanks by hand. The prototype of the mobile sorting container developed with STADLER has been on site since mid-June 2024 and is helping to sort the waste directly on site.
Rivers are lifelines of our planet that have attracted people for centuries. As a result, they are heavily polluted and become the main transport routes for waste into our oceans. In order to protect our oceans more efficiently, we have been positioning ourselves at the root – the world’s rivers – since the end of 2018. A logical step that brings several advantages.
The collected waste also includes organic materials such as dead wood and waste that is not made of plastic, for example refrigerators and car tires. Before recycling, we naturally separate and sort all materials and feed them into different channels. Any form of waste that we remove from the water can cause damage to the environment.
We see waste as a valuable resource that we want to return to the cycle. The first step is manual sorting on site, which we implement together with our partners. We have built sorting centers in Cambodia and Thailand, for example. The individual material flows are then processed further depending on their condition. If they are recyclable, they are passed on locally. If not, they are sent for thermal recycling.
We are also part of the MIX-UP research project: the highest-quality approach that we are investigating with our MIX-UP partners is the biotechnological approach, in which we use bacterial cultures to convert and “upcycle” petroleum-based plastic into biodegradable plastics.
We work with drones that are equipped with cameras. By analyzing the images with the help of artificial intelligence, we are able to identify waste hot spots. In addition, we can use the technology of our partner, the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI), to make a statement about the type, composition and quantity of plastic.
Together with DFKI, we are also part of the PlasticObs+ research project, which has precisely this goal: The development of an artificially intelligent system for the global collection of data on plastic waste distribution in the environment with the help of drones and aircraft.
The information is particularly helpful in prevention work: we use it to support local governments, authorities and environmental organizations in finding the cause and taking countermeasures. Supplemented with weather and current data, we can also use our cleanup technology in a more targeted manner.
Are you and your company interested in a partnership with everwave or in a strategic exchange? Then write to us and we’ll get back to you!
Alternatively, you can also send us an e-mail to cooperations@everwave.de.
