A new partnership is set to revolutionise the way plastic pollution in and around Portsmouth is tracked and stopped
The University has partnered with Portsmouth based environmental technology company Jetsam Tech, whose app allows anyone to contribute to mapping plastic pollution in Portsmouth. Local people can simply download the Jetsam app and submit photographs of the plastic waste they encounter in daily life in the city.
All photos contributed will form a ‘plastic heatmap’ of the local area, revealing when and where plastic waste is building up. University researchers hope to use the data collected to better understand plastic pollution in Portsmouth. This will create the evidence base for solutions to reduce plastic entering the sea and the wider environment. The more people that use the app, the more researchers will understand about plastic flows within the city and ultimately work to tackle plastic waste at source.
We hope Jetsam allows people to feel like they can make a difference in their own communities, and empowers them to help tackle the enormous problem with plastics. I’m really pleased to be working with the University’s Revolution Plastics researchers to support the community and tackle the plastic problem at its source.
Co-founded by University of Portsmouth alumnus Louis Capitanchik and Steve Bomford, Co-Founder of Company of Makers, Jetsam’s environmental ambitions team align perfectly with the University’s Revolution Plastics initiative, which seeks to address the negative effects of plastic on people and the environment.
Louis says: “We hope Jetsam allows people to feel like they can make a difference in their own communities, and empowers them to help tackle the enormous problem with plastics. I’m really pleased to be working with the University’s Revolution Plastics researchers to better support the community and tackle the plastic problem at its source.”
Professor Steve Fletcher, Director of Revolution Plastics added: “Jetsam’s app is exactly the kind of initiative that we need to see to help us all deal with the plastic problem in our own community and beyond. Everyone who cares about plastic pollution can do this one simple thing - download the app and get recording.”
“We’re keen to make sure that our research and the organisations we support benefit our city and wider region through working with city partners like Jetsam. We expect in the future to be able to work with the data collected to affect real change.”