Australian startup Zero Co has kicked off its 100yr Cleanup movement, by building the world’s largest plastic waste pyramid (10m high, 12m wide and weighing more than 18,000kgs) in the Egyptian desert, using one million water bottles' worth of rubbish collected from the Nile River.
The audacious stunt aims to raise awareness about the single-use plastic problem and kick off the 100yr Cleanup project that maps out a vision to fund large-scale rubbish cleanups for the next 100 years.
Initiated by Zero Co, the plastic waste pyramid has been built with hopes to garner the world’s attention ahead of COP27 where on November 7, 2022 the world’s climate leaders will come together to discuss the planet's future. Mike Smith, Zero Co’s founder has been camping out on the pyramid’s top for three days, inviting the public to support future cleanups by sponsoring bundles of rubbish (for $20, $50 or $100) from the 100yr Cleanup website.
The brand is also calling on industry peers and companies around the world to unite against the single-use plastic problem and support the 100yr Cleanup by contributing a small part of their business funds towards the initiative.
Zero Co has contributed $100,000 of its own earnings into the 100yr Cleanup kitty and global brands are lining up to be part of the century-long movement. Founding partners include The Hidden Sea, which sponsored $50,000 worth of rubbish, Belong, contributing $30,000, and Skip Foundation, contributing $50,000.
last a lifetime
“We want to put the plastic problem on the environmental agenda. We know we can’t do this alone, so we need to get everyone involved. By working together with businesses, industry leaders and inviting the public to take direct action, we’ll be able to build a scalable solution to the problem and have a huge impact," said Mike Smith.
With support from both the public and partner businesses, Zero Co hopes to raise $1,000,000 for the 100yr Cleanup over the next 12 months, which will remove 15 million water bottles' worth of rubbish from the planet. This target will continue to drive the initiative’s mission year on year, for the next 100 years.
“I want to ensure that future generations have the opportunity to experience untouched wilderness in all its powerful forces. Whilst we inherit this planet from our ancestors, we also borrow it from our children” he added.
By supporting the 100yr Cleanup and sponsoring a bundle of rubbish, individuals and businesses can contribute to future cleanups around the world, including 2023 plans to host an underwater cleanup in Australia and untrashing ‘the roof of the world’ in the Himalayas. With sufficient funding, the team hopes to be able to pursue its ultimate vision of building full-time teams in South East Asia and Australia, "cleaning the planet five days a week, every week, every year, for the next 100 years".
