Plastic Odyssey makes wave of change

Picture a pristine beach with waves rolling in. Yet, the seawater splashing in the sand comes with discarded plastic bottles and other trash. This is the grim reality of oceans today. Worse than floating garbage, which is only one percent of the world’s marine pollution, microplastics that settle on the seabed are wreaking havoc on marine ecosystems.

“The plastic history — we don’t know exactly where the plastic is, but we know it’s not at the surface,” Simon Bernard, president and co-founder of the ship Plastic Odyssey, told reporters at Alliance Française de Manille, a private organization that promotes French language and culture to Filipinos, on 21 November.

Plastic Odyssey is a floating laboratory on a mission to tackle ocean plastic pollution.

The staggering truth is that the amount of plastic currently floating in our oceans that most people attempt to clean enters them every two days. Cleaning them up, however, is merely scratching the surface. This reality has driven the Plastic Odyssey team to rethink the plastic waste approach entirely.

Floating lab, workshop

Plastic Odyssey is a 40-meter repurposed research vessel launched in 2022. It is a laboratory brimming with solutions for plastic waste. It is also a traveling showroom of cutting-edge technologies for recycling plastic, a mechanical workshop, an analysis laboratory and prototype testing facilities.

The workshop is the heart of the ship, where innovation and tools allow the crew to build new parts and develop advanced recycling prototypes.

The recycling workshop area features shredders to break plastics into flakes, a washer and dryer, and a multifunctional extruder that transforms the flakes into usable objects.

Recycled creations are displayed onboard, offering a glimpse into the potential of repurposed plastics and sparking ideas for their new applications.

For plastics deemed non-recyclable, the Plastic Odyssey has a game-changing solution. In its Zone Pyrolysis, non-recyclable plastics are converted by a pyrolysis machine into fuel to power engines. The ship’s engine room tests this fuel and explores innovative ways to reduce engine pollution.

More than just a laboratory — the vessel is also a hub for collaboration. The ship features a conference room for meetings and workshops, a plastic-free kitchen, cabins and living areas for its crew, and an exhibition space dedicated to showcasing alternatives to single-use plastics.

Clearing the past, building the future

The Plastic Odyssey’s mission revolves around two complementary actions.

“The first one is what we call ‘clear the past’ — how can we deal with the waste that is already here, the legacy we have? The second action is building a future without [single-use plastics], using less plastic,” Bernard said.

Since embarking on their journey in October 2022, the team has made 30 stopovers across three continents. Their Philippine leg began last week, with a stopover in Manila from 19 November to 13 December, followed by a visit to Cebu from 2 to 16 December.

As part of their expedition, Plastic Odyssey is leaving behind more than ideas — it’s leaving behind solutions. One such solution is a recycling micro-factory built in collaboration with the Delfingen Foundation, set to be inaugurated on 27 November at the Eva Macapagal Cruise Terminal in Manila.

According to Maxime Thirouin, Plastic Odyssey’s recycling engineer, the micro-factory model is designed to fit the unique geography of the Philippines because the model can be replicated easily in different islands, allowing it to collect plastic waste and turn it into valuable resources and building materials for local communities.

For a few weeks now, he also stated that the teams that will facilitate the micro-factory have already been trained in construction and have been focusing on experimentation, training Delfingen operators in production techniques using the shredder, agglomerator and the extruder,

Last 21 November, Plastic Odyssey showcased some of their products made through recycling. Among its creations are interlocking pavers made by combining shredded plastic waste with sand or crushed glass. The pavers are ideal for sidewalks, pedestrian zones and parking lots.

Another product is plastic lumber, created from recycled plastic profiles mixed with rice husk. It is a durable and sustainable alternative to wood, particularly in areas affected by deforestation or harsh climates.

The micro-factory also produces roof tiles from hot-pressed waste materials like Tetrapak or multilayer packaging, offering a cost-effective alternative to corrugated metal sheets with superior insulation properties.

Lesson from the voyage

The Plastic Odyssey remains to be not only a vessel but also a movement and a call to action against plastic pollution. It recognizes that cleaning the oceans from the surface alone isn’t enough, and that true change comes from innovation, collaboration and empowerment among communities.

The vessel’s journey across oceans teaches a humbling lesson. That the plastic crisis isn’t just out there in the sea. It begins on land and from the decisions we make day by day. Whether by reducing single-use plastics, rethinking waste management or supporting initiatives like Plastic Odyssey, every small step can lead to a wave of change.