THE PROBLEM
23 BILLION KILOS OF PLASTIC. EVERY YEAR.
Up to 23 million tonnes of plastic end up in rivers, lakes and oceans each year (UNEP). Much of it washes up exactly where we surf, kite and dive. In Mayapo, Colombia, a fast-growing kite spot, there is no waste collection at all. Families burn their trash in the backyard because there is no other option.
Plastic in the ocean starts as a waste problem on land.
THE COASTAL PARADOX
TOURISM BRINGS LIFE. AND PLASTIC.
Watersport destinations grow fast. Their waste infrastructure doesn’t. More visitors mean more plastic, with nowhere for it to go. Clean-ups are great first aid, but without bins, collection and local disposal the plastic keeps coming back.
To protect our spots for good, we need a system change.
OUR SOLUTION
PLASTIC POLLUTION SOLUTIONS THAT STAY.
We turn the people who depend on a healthy ocean into its protectors, and their engagement into infrastructure.
1. MOBILISE
Running. Community clean-ups bring travellers, locals and watersporters together. We remove the plastic, record what lies where and pay for verified disposal.
2. EDUCATE AND CERTIFY
Pilot phase. Partner kite and surf schools ban avoidable plastics, teach plastic prevention in their lessons and run one fundraiser per season.
3. BUILD
Starting in Mayapo. Bins, collection and local contracts: waste systems that stay, run with local partners.
ONE YEAR OF OCEANPULSE
of waste removed
people mobilised
countries
Ecuador, Egypt, Brazil, Colombia, Panama, the USA and Germany, together with local partners such as Amigos del Mar (Colombia), Mingas por el Mar and Verde Marino Mompiche (Ecuador).
WHY I STARTED OCEANPULSE
“In Brazil I stopped to fix my footstraps. Minutes after I had seen sea turtles, chip bags were floating all around me. Success without purpose was no longer enough for me.”
Fynn Hedrich, founder and chairman, kite instructor in three countries
YOUR DONATION
HELP STOP PLASTIC POLLUTION WHERE IT STARTS.
- Clean-up gear, logistics and verified disposal
- Plastic-prevention lessons in watersport schools
- Permanent waste systems with local partners
100% of your donation goes to our projects. OceanPulse e.V. is a registered non-profit from Hamburg, Germany (VR 26051).
One-time or monthly, from €10.
THREE WAYS TO HELP
Donate
Fund clean-ups and the waste systems that make them last.
Stay in the loop
Not ready to give yet? Get updates from our beach projects.
Get involved
Host a clean-up at your beach or certify your watersport school.
FAQ
What are the best solutions to plastic pollution?
Three things have to work together: removing the plastic that is already there, using less of it, and collecting and disposing of the rest properly. OceanPulse works on all three at watersport spots, where tourism adds the most waste and infrastructure is weakest.
What can I do against plastic in the ocean?
Avoid single-use plastics, join or host a beach clean-up, and support organisations that build local waste systems. You can host a clean-up with our backing or donate.
Where does my donation go?
Into clean-up equipment, logistics and verified disposal, plastic-prevention lessons in watersport schools, and local waste infrastructure. 100% goes to our projects.
How do you make sure the plastic doesn’t end up back in nature?
We pay local disposal fees and only count waste that has been verifiably disposed of. In the long run, the waste systems we build with local partners take over this job.