Captain Fanplastic

Captain Fanplastic teaches waste to primary schoolchildren as an adventure story: a one-eyed pirate who lost his eye to plastic, a treasure map, and a hunt in which the treasure is the litter itself. The programme ran its first school session in South Africa in October 2018 and has since reached more than 30,000 learners across 13 countries in Africa, Asia and Europe. Its 2022–2024 impact report counts over 35,000 literacy materials distributed and more than 20,000kg of waste collected by participating children. The method is deliberately low-tech — a storyteller, a costume and a stretch of beach or schoolyard — which is why it travels to island states and townships alike. The organisation's stated goal is to reach one million children by 2030.