Ocean Plastic Turned into an Opportunity in Circular Economy (OPTOCE) is a regional project developed by SINTEF and funded by Norad. OPTOCE aims to showcase a possibility of reducing the release of plastic wastes to the ocean by increasing the waste treatment capacity in selected partner countries in Asia. Non-recyclable plastic waste from for example dumpsites, rivers and plastic polluting industry, will be used as fuel in cement production, constituting a fundamental pillar in circular economy, reducing coal consumption and stopping plastic waste from reaching our oceans (www.optoce.no).
The project is a part of the Norwegian Development Programme to Combat Marine Litter and Microplastics, launched in 2018. The programme is intended to contribute to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14.1 which states that by 2025, the world should prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds.