Plastic Exchange Store: Bidyanondo's recipe for a plastic-free Saint Martin's Island

A rather unconventional grocery store has opened on St. Martin Island, a famous top tourist destination in Bangladesh. Just like in other stores, one can buy grocery items such as rice, pulses, sugar, oil and more, however, with a curious distinction. The shop accepts discarded plastic waste as currency in exchange for grocery items. 

This unique store, named Plastic Exchange Store, is run by Bidyananda Foundation (a voluntary social welfare organisation). The store was set up in partnership with the district administration and the tourist police last December. 

Despite the island's reputation for its beautiful ocean, picturesque beach and vibrant corals, plastic waste pollution is alarmingly high due to tourists' irresponsible disposal of waste. To combat this, the volunteers at Bidyanondo have taken on the challenge to counter the island's excessive plastic pollution by creating an incentive structure for recycling.

In the last four months, the organisation has removed and recycled close to 10 million bottles of plastic from St. Martin sea beach, said Jamal Uddin, a board member at Bidyanondo Foundation. 

"We were thinking about a long-term solution to the plastic crisis in St. Martin. That's why we took the initiative to involve all the local residents here. As the locals collect all the plastic left over by the tourists and bring it to our store, the beach is automatically cleaned. The environment is being protected from pollution," said Jamal Uddin.

In the store, plastic bottles function as currency. For example, 3kg plastic can buy 1kg Soybean oil, and 2kg plastic can buy 1kg pulse. In total, 23 products are sold in the shop. From clothes and sandals to chicken and vegetables – in the store, the locals can find everything that is necessary for sustaining daily life. 

"It's somewhat like a super shop. There are almost all the necessary products. They [customers] can choose what they need. However, unlike the super shops, here the currency is plastic. For people with financial constraints, plastic waste becomes a valuable resource.

Moreover, the store remains open twice a month to exchange plastic bottles for commodities available at the site for purchase. Then, the store transports all of its procured plastics products from the island to Cox's Bazar. In Cox's Bazar, there are a number of agents of companies that recycle plastic bottles such as BD Recycle, Eco Plastic etc, according to Jamal. Subsequently, the amassed plastic waste is sold wholesale to third parties specialising in plastic recycling.

"We went door-to-door in various neighbourhoods to meet with local residents and other stakeholders such as the hotel and resort owners. In our campaign, we involved them along with local representatives. As a result, there was a spontaneous response from all sides, which made the campaign successful," said Jamal Uddin.

However, not all are eligible to participate in exchanging plastics for groceries – only the destitute and impoverished families are considered. Initially, Bidyanondo Foundation selected the families after a survey.  

Rahim, a 17-year-old, has become a regular at this exchange store since its launch in late 2022. He studied up to class 10 and now he has to help his family sell a variety of coconuts to tourists. Accompanied by his mother and younger brother, Rahim came to the store every time it opened in the last four months, clutching his prized bags of plastic bottles.

"We usually collect 2 or 3 bags of plastics every two weeks," Rahim said. "And we come here to sell them when the store opens up. More or less, it amounts to 10-12 kilograms of plastic. With that, we buy a few kilograms of rice, pulses, potatoes and such."

In fact, the initiative has had a meaningful impact on the appearance of St. Martin. Since it opened its doors late last year, the store has helped to reduce a substantial amount of plastic waste on the island.

At the same time, the initiative has also created a realisation among tourists about the importance of responsible waste disposal.They now seem to be more aware of their behaviour, with a lesser tendency to litter. And tourists also seem to pay heed to waste disposal on the island. This serves as a great example of how small changes in behaviour can have a significant positive impact on the environment.

"Until now, discarded plastic materials from the tourists had no value for the natives. Moreover, they thought that safeguarding the environment is solely the government's responsibility. As a result, they cared little about their plastic-filled neighbourhoods. However, our plan changed their perspective towards plastic," said Jamal Uddin. 

Ultimately, all of this is contributing to a cleaner and more beautiful beach, as plastic waste is less often seen on the shores. And the underprivileged local residents of the entire island appear to have become waste collectors themselves. They are stockpiling every bit of plastic pieces strewn all over their neighbourhoods to sell in the exchange shop.

"One of the big achievements, and one of the biggest challenges, was to involve women in financial activities. They are very religious. They do not often come out of their house. Our project proved this point wrong. Almost 80% of customers are women, who come here with big sacks of plastic bottles along with their children," added Jamal Uddin.

In the coming days, the organisation aims at building a statue of a monster made of plastic materials – the biggest structure on the island. The purpose would be to convey the message to people at large that environmental pollution is a problem akin to a monster. 

While the store has turned into a beacon of hope for the community – a symbol of what was possible when people came together to make a positive change – the organisation wants to remind us of the urgent issue of environmental pollution.