In this special episode of the Reloop Brief, we catch up, live from a paddleboard, with Merijn Tinga, also known as the Plastic Soup Surfer, during his expedition from Paris to Nice for the UN Ocean Conference.

Merijn shares how his creative activism, surfing on a board made of plastic bottles, sparked a national movement that helped advance and expand a deposit return system in the Netherlands.

He explains how deposit systems reduce beverage container litter by up to 80%, the role of grassroots action and AI-powered litter research and why empowering local groups is key to scaling effective waste policy across Europe.

It’s a story of determination, data and the power of community.