What if every bottle cap, cigarette butt, or food wrapper washed up on a beach was more than just waste? What if it represented a data point, a story, and a call to action?

In this episode of Plastic Climate Future, we speak with Sarah Weller from Ocean Conservancy, whose work transforms global beach cleanups into one of the world’s most extensive sources of data on ocean pollution.

From her early experiences diving in the Bahamas to leading the International Coastal Cleanup, Sarah shares how community-driven action, digital tools, and science communication are reshaping the movement toward a cleaner and more resilient ocean.

What we explore:

How 40 years of trash data is influencing policy and global awareness

Why citizen science is essential to driving systemic change—not just removing litter

How the Clean Swell app is turning everyday actions into measurable impact

The shift from counting what we find to changing what gets made

This episode is for anyone who believes the ocean deserves better—and that small, collective actions can create meaningful change.

🎧 Listen to the full episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts!