In France, there is a lack of political will, but also a lack of reliable data on litter. That’s why we are simultaneously launching the Citizen Science project ReTour de France: everyone can participate simply by taking photos of litter along the way. AI analyzes the brand, type, and material, and converts the data into heatmaps and graphs – which can be used to engage the media and local politicians.
The results have been presented at conferences in Marseille and Nice, as a strong case for a national deposit system — supporting both recycling and reuse
Plastic Soup Surfer
My name is Merijn Tinga, the Plastic Soup Surfer.
In 2014, I built a surfboard using washed-up plastics and surfed it along the Dutch coast, earning my nickname: Plastic Soup Surfer. Since then, I'm focusing my campaigns on policy makers and companies.
My campaigns and expeditions have influenced political resolutions and have led to product bans. Together with an growing army of passionate people, we continue to drive results and influence change. I share my story to inform, inspire and help others to make a difference too.
From Oslo to Pope Leo XIV - and Rome
From plastic soup to policy – deposit return as a solution
The finish of the Nice–Rome windsurf expedition marks an extraordinary moment. On 21 May in Rome, as the finish to the 750km windsurf expedition - Plastic Soup Surfer Merijn Tinga will have a brief informal meeting with Pope Leo XIV. A symbolic conclusion to a journey that began four years ago in Oslo.
For more than a decade, Merijn Tinga has travelled Europe’s coastlines and rivers by windsurf and stand-up paddleboard, tracing the path of plastic pollution. From the source of the Rhine to the North Sea, from Oslo to London, Paris, Nice and now Rome, each expedition has carried the same message: deposit-return systems on plastic bottles and cans work.
They reduce littered bottles and cans by 80 percent. We have seen it happen. In the Netherlands, years of expeditions and campaigns, data, petitions and political pressure helped turn deposit systems into reality - transforming streets, rivers and public awareness.
This spring’s Nice–Rome expedition is the next chapter. A long solo journey on a self-built board, incorporating littered plastic bottles from the river Tiber, and a clear call for change: Italy can make the same leap. The tools exist. Along the route we call on the litterpick communities to start collecting data instead of only litter. To provide evidence in clearcut numbers. Data is objective not an opinion.
The campaign is not only about Italy. It is about sharing our lessons learned - how to mobilise citizens, collect data and turn awareness into policy. From Oslo to Rome, from the water to the halls of power.
The route is long and often against the current.
But change begins the moment you move.
What you can do!
‘Rifiuti in Vista’: Citizen Science for the Nice–Rome Campaign
For the Nice–Rome expedition we launch Rifiuti in Vista — a citizen-science project using photo’s to map litter along the Italian coast. Political resistance in Italy is strong, and reliable data is scarce. That’s where you can make the difference.
Take photos of litter along your walk, ride or beach visit. Our AI dentifies the brands, materials and objects, and turns the results into maps and graphs we will use to brief journalists and policymakers throughout the campaign. (AI model developed by Zwerfinator)
Help us build the evidence Italy needs.
Every photo counts. Every dataset strengthens the case for a national deposit system.
Join Rifiuti in Vista — and paddle this campaign forward with us. (download the flyer with the instructions. Italian or English)
Get involved!
- Join Rifiuti in Vista — (download the flyer with the instructions. Italian or English)
- Share the project with your network in Italy
- Support the campaign with a donation — we run it with a small team and big dedication
Together, let’s make deposit return the European norm.
Paddling upstream – but never alone.
The expedition Paris to Nice in 60 seconds
Why France?
NEW BOOK: Tegen de stroom in
In stores now
On September 1st, my new book Tegen de stroom in will be released. A personal and urgent story about how to stay courageous and take action through all kinds of weather – quite literally.
ORDER "TEGEN DE STROOM IN" HERE
Research in Belgium: 5x More Cans and Bottles
We walked a 6 km research route through Antwerp, Brussels, and Namur. The results were the same everywhere: 4 to 5 times more cans and bottles on the streets compared to the Netherlands – where a deposit system is in place.
Our findings led to parliamentary questions in Wallonia and meetings with Flemish MPs.
In each city, local litter pickers joined us. They’re now starting photo-based research, which can be quickly and smartly analysed using AI.
Interested in doing a litter-research walk every three months? Get in touch!
Surfing & politics
In 2017, the Plastic Soup Surfer forces a political breakthrough with a resolution he drafted himself. Bottle deposits lead to a major decline in littering. The record attempt kitesurf crossing of the North Sea – 180km from The Netherlands to England, on a board made from plastic bottles – is the kickstart to a petition for bottle deposits, and is signed by 60 thousand people.
Captains of industry
He confronts the CEOs of Coca Cola, Heineken, Pepsico, Spa and Dutch supermarkets using a bailiff and a judicial notice specially developed for this occasion. He takes along the plastic bottles he found in the river Rhine after having paddled it from its source, high up in the Alps down to its murky river mouth (>1000km). A campaign from source to sea and then back upstream to the source of the plastic pollution: The companies.
Unite the fight
With the Dutch community of plastic activists and NGOs he organized a national conference on the future of plastics (2019). The resulting ‘Plastic Avengers Manifest’ states 5 principles to a ‘sustainable use of plastics’.
VP Frans Timmermans became the ambassador.
Ultra windsurf expeditions to advocate deposit return schemes in European countries
From June 22 until July 11, I've been on a 850 km windsurf and sup expedition from London to Paris on a board that contained littered plastic bottles from the Seine. During this expedition, I carried an alternative Olympich Torch.
On the day of my arrival, July 11th, I've been handing the Olympic Torch to Anne Hidalgo, the Mayor of Paris. Together we've been advocating for the introduction of a deposit system for plastic bottles and cans.
I am not accusing the material, but the way we put it to use. Plastic is a catalyst to our throw-away society.
Will you support us?
Help out in our mission!
- Support our work with a small donation
- Join our current campaign
- Invite the Plastic Soup Surfer for a lecture or advice
- Join our team as a volunteer: send us an email
The Plastic Paradox is the contradiction between the responsibility demanded by the use of plastic and the fact that we apply this material as disposable and to facilitate short-term convenience and TO-GO impulses.