The Alluvium Project
Mexico and the United States
Turning river plastic into building materials for communities in Mexico, in Baja California Sur, Michoacán and the Tijuana River border region.
The need
Low value plastic, the kind recycling systems cannot use, fills rivers and coastlines across Mexico and flows into the Pacific. At the same time, rural and coastal communities need affordable building materials, clean water, jobs and lasting waste systems. Alluvium treats these as one problem with one answer. Its name comes from the fertile sediment rivers leave behind.
The project
Alluvium runs a five step cycle: remove plastic from rivers and coasts, process it into durable recycled plastic boards, use the boards for community infrastructure, create local jobs and education, and build lasting systems that reduce future pollution.
- A solar desalination and ice plant for a fishing community in Baja California Sur, built with recycled plastic (see Ice in a Box).
- Native tree propagation around the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Michoacán, with the Rotary Club Monarca Zitácuaro.
- Modular recycling bins and affordable eco housing.
- The boards come from RiverRecycle, the Finnish company that turns river plastic into panels that can replace plywood and concrete forms.
Results
- Launched July 1, 2026, and in its early stage.
- A related Rotary Global Grant for cleaning the Tijuana River is under review.