Soini 4-H club

MuoviSampo offers local currency in exchange for plastic packaging.

The Finnish bottle deposit system has played an important role in educating Finns for decades. Therefore, it is surprising that a similar system has not been implemented for other similar consumer products that present challenges to nature and that increase the consumer’s carbon footprint. The Soini 4-H team saw this opportunity and the team made it to the Globe League final with its experiment to inspire consumers to recycle plastic packaging with the help of reward solutions modified from the bottle deposit system.

The team implemented plastic recycling as a pilot project in co-operation with local companies and associations in the municipality of Soini. In the trial, the MuoviSampo collection point was created, where users could exchange plastic packaging into practical local currency. The currency could be used for paying for the services of our co-operation partners. We organised events where anyone could bring clean plastic packaging to the MuoviSampo collection point and in exchange get a reward for their environmental action as local currency.

The goal during the trial period supported by Sitra was also to gamify the recycling experience through an application and that way, with the help of the local currency and video material, motivate Soini’s residents to become active recyclers. All in all, the trial was to significantly prevent plastic from ending up in mixed waste and being burned so it was an excellent opportunity to provide a partial solution to the global plastic problem!

The Soini 4-H team is one of the Globe League finalists.