Arya Satheesh goes forward to global final of seven entries decided by public vote
Life
Arya Satheesh
An Irish woman has been named European winner of The Earth Prize 2026 for a project tackling the issue of microplastics. Arya Satheesh’s Eco Purge, is a biodegradable plastic that breaks down safely, while releasing catalysts that help remove existing microplastics from the environment.
While most solutions focus on reducing plastic use, Eco Purge goes a step further by helping clean up the tiny plastic particles that are already polluting oceans, soil, food and water.
The 18-year-old was inspired by an earlier project monitoring water quality, which revealed a key problem: microplastics could be detected, but not removed. Wanting to solve this, Satheesh explored how plastics break down and developed a plant-based plastic that can carry special enzymes. By embedding these enzymes inside the material, they remain stable and are released gradually as the plastic degrades, allowing them to continue breaking down microplastics in different environments like water, soil, and compost.
Now developed into a working prototype, Eco Purge has already collaborated with researchers at Irish universities UCD Dublin and ATU Letterkenny, as well as BiOrbic Bioeconomy Research Centre. With support from The Earth Prize, Satheesh plans to scale the solution for real-world use in products like packaging and compost bags, making it easier to tackle microplastic pollution on a larger scale.
Satheesh explained: “Plastic pollution doesn’t just disappear, it breaks into tiny pieces that stay in our environment. I wanted to create something that could help tackle that problem directly. Eco Purge is designed to both replace plastic and help remove existing microplastics, and this is just the beginning , and I hope it can become a scalable solution that makes a real difference”.
The Earth Prize is run by The Earth Foundation, a non-profit based in Geneva, Switzerland, founded during the School Strike for Climate in 2019. The Prize is the world’s largest environmental competition and ‘ideas incubator’ for 13-19-year-olds, empowering young people with mentorship and a total of $100,000 funding. Each team receives $12,500 to develop and implement their idea for real life impact.
Peter McGarry, founder of The Earth Foundation, said: “The Earth Prize winners 2026 represent seven outstanding teams across seven global regions, each tackling environmental challenges with distinct and impactful solutions. Once again, these young innovators demonstrate that age is no barrier to meaningful change. Their work reflects a powerful combination of creativity, determination and a deep understanding of the communities they serve.”
A public vote opens on 18 May and a global winner will be announced on 29 May.
TechCentral Reporters