Looking for an original and meaningful outing with your colleagues? Think plastic fishing! In Amsterdam, you can join Plastic Whale on board: an initiative that fishes waste out of the water and turns it into something beautiful. With a landing net in your hand and a good dose of team spirit, you and the skipper will hunt for litter in the canals. Because plastic is not waste, it is a valuable resource. What do you think they make those boats out of?
Plastic fishing: how exactly does it work?
Plastic Whale takes you out on the canals of Amsterdam, armed with a landing net and a healthy dose of team spirit. Together, you take to the water to fish out as much litter as possible. What will you find? PET bottles, cans, snack packs and plastic bags. But also crazy things like scooter helmets, mannequins, rubber ducks and - yes - even a wedding ring with a box. And to make it even more fun: there is a game element in it! Afterwards, there is a prize for the team with the largest catch and one for the most special item. Want to bet that even the biggest sceptic on board will participate fanatically?
Sustainable team outing with Plastic Whale
On board, it is often laugh, scream and roar. But in the meantime, you are working on something deadly serious. Because if we don't remove this waste from the water, it will float around for years. After all, plastic hardly decomposes. It breaks down into tiny microplastics that are eaten by fish and birds, among others, and eventually they end up back on our plates or in our ecosystem. Meanwhile, animals die unnecessarily and the ecosystem gets out of balance. That is why Plastic Whale organises regular land cleanups, such as on the beach, in addition to fishing in the water. And with success: in 2024 alone, together with all participants, 5,038 rubbish bags full of waste were collected. Not only companies join in: Plastic Whale also likes to go out with schools!
What happens to all that waste?
What you fish out of the water gets a second life at Plastic Whale. On board, the catch is immediately separated: PET bottles, cans, caps, glass and residue each go their own way. The PET bottles are processed by Plastic Whale into new boats and, together with furniture maker Vepa, some are also processed into new desks, chairs and lamps. Fun fact: one boat requires around seven thousand bottles - and there are already fourteen of these canal boats sailing around. Yep, so you could just sit on an old water bottle. Even the caps are given a new function, for example in the floors of some boats (take a good look at the floor of the boat during your outing). The cans fished out of the water go via Statiegeld Nederland to Verpact, the organisation that ensures that our packaging, including our deposit packaging, is neatly collected and recycled. And it works: some 84% of all cans and 77% of bottles in the Netherlands are now returned. Not bad, right? So with your fishing, you not only contribute to cleaner canals, but also to a nice cycle. Who would have thought that when you fished that can or bottle out of the water?
During SAIL 2025, you could join a Plastic Whale boat for free. You an adventure on the IJ, in exchange for a little hour of helping out with plastic fishing. They also do this every year after Kings Day and Pride Amsterdam.
Also joining Plastic Whale?
And now for the practical part: a plasticfish cruise takes about 2.5 hours and costs 54 euros per person. You book from eight people upwards (as eight people fit in one boat). Larger groups? No problem! They will be divided over several boats. And yes, you can also join us in winter. After all, plastic waste knows no seasons. So between November and April you sail just as well - with a blanket on your lap, hot drink in your hand and the fresh winter air around your ears. Want a mulled wine? It's all possible! For current prices and conditions, always check with Plastic Whale itself.
Tip: hold the agenda and socials of Plastic Whale, because sometimes you can spontaneously join their clean-up events. For instance, every year, the day after King's Day and Pride, they organise a public event where anyone can sail along to fish the party junk out of the water. They are also on hand during SAIL. In 2025, they teamed up with Verpact and you could join plastic fishing on the IJ for free. How much fun is that? Watch the video report of plastic fishing during SAIL here.
More stories on recycling
- Also see: we followed the recycling journey of a PET deposit bottle.
- Also see: we followed the recycling journey of an aluminium deposit can.
- Also see: CleansDay in Amsterdam, will you join us next year?
Photo credits: thegreenlist.nl.
