HANGZHOU, June 8 (Xinhua) -- On a stretch of beach in Taizhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, Wang Zhongfu, 68, bends to pick up discarded plastic bottles and tattered fishing nets.

Wang is one of thousands participating in Blue Circle, a marine plastic recycling program that, initiated in 2020, utilizes blockchain technology and the Internet of Things to track the full life cycle of marine plastic waste -- from collection to remanufacturing and resale.

Developed by Zhejiang Province's Department of Ecology and Environment and Zhejiang Lanjing Technology Co., Ltd., Blue Circle is the country's largest program of its kind.

In 2023, it received the United Nations 2023 Champions of the Earth award in the category of Entrepreneurial Vision for its efforts to tackle marine plastic pollution. According to the UN Environment Programme, the award is the UN's highest environmental honor.

"We reduce plastic waste in the ocean and help people get additional income from waste collection," said Kong Chen, who oversees a Blue Circle plastic waste station known as Little Blue Home, located on Dachen Island, some 29 nautical miles from Taizhou's coast. He noted that the station transported over 20 tonnes of marine waste in 2024.

Blue Circle pays 0.20 yuan (almost 3 U.S. cents) for every plastic bottle collected -- a price several times higher than the market average. This is designed to supplement the incomes of many locals.

"The initiative motivates people to join in on environmental protection and improve their incomes. People out fishing can consciously collect plastic waste while working on the sea," Kong said, noting that participants like Wang can earn some 1,000 yuan this way each month.

People can trace the journey of recycled plastic by scanning QR codes on goods, such as car parts, suitcases, and phone cases, made from certified plastic collected from the ocean. The plastic waste is cleaned and processed into granules for industrial use at Veolia Huafei Polymer Technology (Zhejiang) Co., Ltd. in Anji County, Zhejiang's Huzhou City.

"Since 2022, we have processed tens of millions of plastic bottles from Blue Circle," said Fu Xianwei, the company's operations director. Fu added that certified marine plastic granules can sell for over 1.3 times the price of regular recycled plastic, and products made from these granules have higher added value.

"Once fishermen can profit and businesses are motivated, marine plastic waste management enters a virtuous cycle," said Ye Zongsen, an official of the Jiaojiang district branch of the Taizhou Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau.

The initiative has expanded across Zhejiang's coastal areas, with approximately 1,360 residents, 10,000 vessels and seven recycling companies joining to date. In Zhejiang alone, the program has collected 15,000 tonnes of marine waste, including over 2,900 tonnes of plastic waste. It has also spread to seven other provinces, including China's southernmost island province of Hainan.

Dachen Island in Jiaojiang District is a model of marine-friendly development. Dozens of wind turbines atop the island's ridge generate an average of 60 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, which is five times the amount the island consumes, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 45,000 tonnes.

Surplus electricity is delivered to the mainland via undersea power cables, according to Jiang Weijian, director of the Dachen Power Supply Station of State Grid Zhejiang Power Co., Ltd.

Green power has spurred many changes, including all-electric buses, electric oxygen and ice production in fisheries, and the gradual use of electric stoves in guesthouses on the island.

Additionally, Dachen's low-carbon solid waste treatment station and wastewater treatment plant have increased the top water quality proportion in nearshore areas to 98 percent.

As its environment improves, the island is seeing a tourism boom. Last year, Dachen welcomed 200,000 tourists and raked in 170 million yuan in related revenue.

"As the scenery improves, our B&B business is thriving," said Dachen resident Kong Qinglei, who started his B&B business on the island in 2020. Its revenue exceeded 1 million yuan in 2024.

The island is also capitalizing on its marine resources. Famous for its yellow croaker, the island has 14 yellow croaker farming companies and its production hit 10,005 tonnes last year -- an amount worth over 1.1 billion yuan. The industry has created fishing jobs for nearly 300 people.

Local authorities are now encouraging the development of maritime leisure travel and souvenir industries. Some guesthouse owners are even combining their businesses with yellow croaker farming.

The island is also pioneering the blue carbon and forest carbon trade. "Funds have been directed to a common prosperity fund for marine protection, and to marine farmers and island residents," said Yang Haifei, a township official on the island. ■