The African Waste Academy’s sixth webinar series took place on the 17th, 19th and 24th of March 2020 with members from the 2019 National Geographic Expedition team including Jenna Jambeck, Kathryn Youngblood and Amy Brooks.
“Debris Tracker: An Open Data Citizen Science Movement” by Kathryn Youngblood:
The series began with Kathryn Youngblood’s presentation “Debris Tracker: An Open Data Citizen Science Movement”. Kathryn discussed some of the ins and outs of the Marine Debris Tracker app including the different datasheets which can account for the different ‘personalities’ of litter in different areas. Kathryn also spoke about some of the ways the data can be modeled due to the geographic information captured by the app. The pdf slides used for the presentation can be found here.
“The Global Trade of Plastic Waste and the Myth of Away” by Amy Brooks:
Amy Brooks outlined some of the figures and statistics involved in the global transport of waste. She examines the difference between countries who are exporting the largest volumes of waste as opposed to the countries who are importing the recyclable waste and discusses her experience visiting recycling centers in Vietnam and the conditions there. She explores what items are being traded and by whom as well as the processes involved in the transport of waste. The pdf slides used for the presentation can be found here.
“Plastic Pollution: Sea to Source and Intervention Framework” by Jenna Jambeck
Jenna Jambeck described her teams National Geographic Expedition in 2019 which took place in Bangladesh and India. As part of the Sea to Source project they conducted studies along the Ganges river which is ranked as one of the most polluted rivers in the world. Jenna described the various methods that the three teams used to sample the river, air, and local communities. She then highlighted six key intervention strategies that can be implemented to reduce the production of plastic waste.
“Debris Tracker: An Open Data Citizen Science Movement” by Kathryn Youngblood:
“The Global Trade of Plastic Waste and the Myth of Away” by Amy Brooks:
“Plastic Pollution: Sea to Source and Intervention Framework” by Jenna Jambeck:
