The PLEASE Hack final event successfully concluded on April 06, 2025 at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel. A team of science undergraduates in Sri Lanka became overall winners of a South Asian youth hackathon to come up with innovative solutions to tackle the global crisis of plastic pollution.
The winners designed a biodegradable fish storage box as an alternative to Styrofoam-based boxes widely used in fisheries. The team, calling itself ‘Myco Box by White Root’, instead proposes to use mycelium, a root-like structure found in fungus.
Second place was won by an Indian youth team called ‘Green Alchemy’ who came up with an enzyme-based plastic biodegradation innovation. Coming third was the ‘Eco Pet’ team from Bhutan, who proposed a gamification platform linked to a smartphone app to promote consumer education for reducing household waste.
In addition to the regional awards, national winners were recognized from each participating country:
Afghanistan: Advanced Plastic Collection Drones and Robots – Moh Jahesh Ahmadzai
Bangladesh: Plastix 2.0 – Seyam Bin H Rahman, Taki Tajwaruzzaman Khan, Ahabab Imtiaz Risat, Tasnim Ashraf Jafrin Shaila
Bhutan: Eco Pet – Shrendup Palden, Sonam Chophel Dorji
India: Green Alchemy – Ankit Agrawala, Anubhuav Kumar Bhagat, Vranda Kaushik
Maldives: EcoConnect – Mohammed Aruham, Ali Ahsan Saeed, Abdul Badeeu Najeeb, Ahmed Yooshau, Mohamed Aiham
Nepal: Himalayan Knowledge Hub – Sushila Shrestha, Yunish Ghimire, Pratik Bajracharya
Pakistan: Eco Pave – Toseef Nawab, Laiba Khan, Shahroz Khan
Sri Lanka: Myco Box by White Root – Chathura Madusanka, Pabodha Theekshani Manchanayaka
These winners were chosen from among 23 finalist teams – comprising 67 young men and women aged 18 to 30 – in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The competition, known as PLEASE Hack, was an initiative under the Plastic Free Rivers and Seas for South Asia (PLEASE) Project, a five-year regional initiative implemented by the South Asia Cooperative Environment Programme (SACEP), funded by the World Bank and supported by UNOPS.
The finalist teams pitched their innovative solutions to a panel of experts drawn from across the region. Judges ranked the teams based on their solution’s innovative potential, business model, implementation plan, regional collaboration and scalability as well as overall environmental and social sustainability. Their final selections were unanimous.
PLEASE Hack attracted more than 250 youth from the eight eligible countries who formed into 98 teams to present innovative solutions to reduce plastic use and improve waste management in households and communities, or in micro, small, and medium enterprises.
Shortlisted teams engaged in a two-week virtual hackathon during March, collaborating within each team to refine and develop their innovative concepts. They received mentoring support and guidance from national experts. Country level judging then selected 23 teams who were supported to travel to the South Asian Regional Final held in Colombo on 6 April.
The regional winners will receive seed funding to enable them in refining their innovations and presenting them to potential investors.
Plastic Free Rivers and Seas for South Asia (PLEASE) is the region’s largest initiative to combat marine plastic pollution and promote sustainable plastic use. Funded by the World Bank and implemented by the South Asia Cooperative Environment Programme (SACEP) with implementation support from UNOPS, PLEASE drives innovation through public-private partnerships, competitive grants, and circular economy solutions.
