Trans Pacific Expedition Against Plastic

There can be no denying that the massive volume of Oceanic Plastic is rapidly becoming one of the greatest threats to life on Earth. With this Expedition we aim to show that there is something simply and immediately that can be done to begin to fix the problem right now!
It has long been my aim to initiate more directly active environmental projects to demonstrate the simple yet effective ways we can be the change that will preserve the natural world and there by us. The relatively simple and largely forgotten technology of converting plastic back into it’s original oil and then into the fuels our society currently relies upon, is one such example.

With the announcement by Dr. Lavers of the University of Tasmania, that the remote and uninhabited World Heritage listed, Henderson Island is likely to be the most plastic polluted place in the world.
I  decided it would be possible to mount a sailing expedition to that remote island to demonstrate that even in the most forgotten places that converting plastics into fuel is.one possible way, of the many options we have at our disposal to tackle this ever mounting problem. So the idea of the “ Trans Pacific Expedition Against Plastic “ began.
With our 12m, Steel, Center console sloop which when not sailing, we will be running from converted plastics and any Yachts willing to join us, we plan to Sail from Byron Bay NSW Aust. to Henderson Island Stopping first at Lord Howe Island, then on to Auckland New Zealand, not only to demonstrate the Plastics to Fuel Machine but to highlight local issues such as the plight of the Flesh Footed Shearwaters of Lord Howe or the push by big oil for seismic testing and the ongoing destruction caused by the exploration and extraction of oil.
Then on to Henderson island a 5534km non stop journey passing through the great southern ocean.

Henderson Island, in the Pitcairn Group, is one of the first Islands in the Pacific to be declared a world heritage site and coincidentally is the second most remote island  in the world. More recently having been declared by scientific study published by  Dr. Jennifer Lavers of the University of Tasmania, to be the most densely plastic polluted  island on earth. Henderson is located on the edge of the South Pacific Gyre, and with no inhabitants has sat there quietly collecting our rubbish from the Ocean over the years. Sadly there is an estimated 17 Tonnes of plastic  waste on the island. Among the many unique species to be found on Henderson Island are the Henderson Petrels a stately oceanic wanderer of the winds and waves, they nest no where else on earth and like most sea birds are suffering terribly because of the huge increase in oceanic plastics, loosing an estimated 25,000 chicks each year to starvation and a rapidly exploding rat population.


Once ashore at Henderson begin a clean up we will convert as much of the plastic as we are able into usable diesel fuel which will be gifted to the Pitcairn Islanders, who still rely on Diesel Generators for their main source of electricity. Here as at all stops we will be instructing and assisting interested locals in the construction of their own plastics to fuel machine.

From here we intend to continue on through the Southern Pacific Islands demonstrating the machine to as many remote island communities who are impacted by oceanic plastic as possible on our way west, finally home to the East Coast of Australia. At all stops we will be demonstrating and and assisting in the construction of this basic technology so that with willing people we can not only tackle this issue but do so in a way that has meaningful results not only environmentally but economically and therefore socially.



The Plastics to Fuel Machine we will be constructing is intended to take any plastic in mixed varieties and via a process called gasification ( pyrolisis ) return it back into the low grade mineral oil from which it was originally produced, and thence, via further distillation produce either Diesel, or any other Hydrocarbon Fuel. Once running, the machine  provides it’s own fuel source.



By educating and assisting the locals to construct PTF machines themselves so as to produce fuel for the Diesel powered generators that many depend upon for electricity, or for their fishing boats or agricultural machinery which they rely upon for food and commerce we immediately solve two problems in unison.

 Firstly there is a huge motivation for locals to collect the plastic which is being washed up on their islands, as it is now a source of cheap if not free energy. Additionally they can convert any plastic waste they themselves generate cutting down on their own waste while again gaining more energy freedom.

Second the long term effect of releasing the local economy from the dependance on Big oil companies supplying them with their energy needs easily has the potential to boost local commerce.

We understand that many purists will immediately oppose this use of plastic waste as fuel as this only continues the fossil fuel chain, and there can be no denying this is the case. This process does indeed create greenhouse  gases as we are ultimately burning hydrocarbons in return for energy, yet, our premise rests on a three fold platform.

Firstly that plastics and in particular single use plastics are going to end up in the environment if waste plastic is viewed as a cheap or even free source of energy then it is no longer waste therefore ultimately will no longer be thrown away .

Second, that if communities reliant on Diesel generators for their energy reduce or even remove their need to import fuels then not only have we cut demand for world oil directly but additionally have saved the fuel that would have been expended transporting the fuel.

Finally, that Carbon Dioxide the major greenhouse gas currently effecting climate change can in fact be significantly reduced by realistic and widespread changes in agricultural practices. In particular the application of Hemp in all its forms to act as Annual Global  Carbon sink.

Undeniable benefits which far outweigh the detrimental aspect. Practically speaking, the question is: Do we want to release the hydrocarbons we already have laying on our beaches in our waterways, in our dams, and in our rivers into the atmosphere to be dealt with by mass tree plantings and sensible crop selection. Most notably Hemp in all it’s forms. Australia and in particular, Queensland is ideally placed for large scale implementation of this crop as a replacement for the thousands upon thousands of hectares of essentially useless and massively un-economic sugar cane production . All the infrastructure and machinery, used by the Sugar Cane industry is, co-incidentally, precisely the same type of infrastructure and machinery one needs for Hemp cultivation! Or will we release just the same amount of hydrocarbons and leave the rubbish where it is, in our precious water systems to accumulate toxins, to enter the food chain, to decimate the flora and fauna of the planet, and eventually to poison us all ?

Sailing this expedition was an easy and practical decision as this is by far the most environmentally sound of all ways to traverse the ocean. and as mentioned above, have purchased our yacht specifically for her suitability for this journey. Yet there is still much to do to prepare her for this monumental task. Long over due maintenance including some welding as well as a complete hull clean and anti foul, a lot of new rope is needed some electrical work as well and scores of other smaller matters. All this before we even think about moving north to begin trials and training which will take place on the Great Barrier Reef. and naturally while there we will be also conducting public awareness seminars as well as campaigning, most significantly against the Carmichael Mine and Abbot Point, and the plethora of smaller issues such as the sandy straights mine.

If the Creeks, Rivers, Lakes, Seas, and Oceans Die. Life on Earth Dies.