Dell Technologies recycles over a ton of ocean-bound plastics from biannual beach clean-up

Dell Technologies Country Manager Sri Lanka and Maldives Chrishan Fernando symbolically hands over a ton of ocean plastics collected from four beaches in Sri Lanka to Plastech Polymer Recycling Managing Director Abdul Safthar Ilyas

Dell ‘Save the Waves’ art competition winners across the island together with Plastech Polymer Recycling Managing Director Abdul Safthar Ilyas, Road to Rights Foundation Founder Dr. Ashan Perera, Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) General Manager/CEO Terney Pradeep Kumara, Dell Technologies Country Manager Sri Lanka and Maldives Chrishan Fernando and Marketing Manager Ruwan Gamage

Over 400 drawings were submitted carrying the message about the importance of environmental preservation

Three winners were selected from an islandwide art competition and were presented with Dell Technologies laptops and accessories

• Dell Technologies completed biannual beach clean-up plan at Galle, Trincomalee, Kalutara and Uswetakeiyawa beaches with support of over 400 volunteers and key opinion leaders 
• Over a ton of plastic waste was collected and recycled 
• Art competition was organised for children volunteers to educate on importance of environmental preservation

Dell Technologies (NYSE:DELL) successfully concluded its biannual beach clean-up initiatives that were carried out across four consecutive Saturdays of October at the Galle, Trincomalee, Kalutara and Uswetakeiyawa beaches respectively. Together with volunteers, over a ton of plastic waste were collected, all of which were sorted out and sent to recycling centres after. 

At least a hundred volunteers, including travel bloggers, Travel with Wife, The Sailor, Road to Rights Foundation and Marine Environment Protection Authority who provided guidance throughout, participated in the beach clean-ups. In particular, Plastech Polymer Recycling Managing Director Abdul Safthar Ilyas helped ensure that the waste collected was segregated for the right collection points according to weight and size.

Dell Technologies Sri Lanka Country Manager Chrishan Fernando also actively took part in the beach clean ups. He addressed all volunteers and reiterated on the importance of the initiatives as part of Dell Technologies 2030 Progress Made Real vision.

Speaking at the finale held at Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH), Chrishan Fernando said: “We’ve championed various initiatives to inspire better practices in the communities and industries. Through this successful beach clean-up initiative, we hope to be able to facilitate and inspire meaningful changes to protect the planet and empower local communities.” Research estimates that an average of eight million metric tons of plastic materials enter the world’s oceans annually, and that amount is increasing by 7% per year. By 2050, leading scientists predict there could be more plastic than fish in the sea. One key way to address this problem is to prevent plastics from entering the ocean in the first place. At Dell Technologies, we prioritise regenerative resources – recycled content and rapidly renewable materials that can be used across products and packaging.

Dell Technologies pioneered the use of ocean-bound plastics in our packaging, incorporating plastics collected from beaches, waterways and coastal areas into the protective trays for the XPS 13 2-in-1 laptops.  

Fernando added: “Scaling this effort to recycle plastics is critically important to us. One of our visions for 2030 is to ensure 100% of our product packaging is sourced from sustainable materials.We have used 40,000 pounds of ocean-bound plastics so far and in support of United Nation Sustainable Development Goal 14, we committed to increase annual usage 10x by 2025.” To educate on the importance of environmental preservation and emphasise the dire consequences of ocean pollution, Dell Technologies organised an art competition for all children volunteers. Themed ‘Save the Waves’, children volunteers created artwork portraying the pollution in oceans and beaches. Three winners were selected and were presented with Dell Technologies laptops and accessories.