It is estimated that an enourmous quantity of plastic has been discarded in the oceans, around 150 million tonnes. Then, the challenge is to prevent more plastic from going in the sea but also in removing that already present. These materials threaten marine ecosystems and enter the food chain, reaching also humans.
In the last year different innovative technological systems have been developed to tackle the problem both from the point of view of monitoring and of the active garbage collection.
Regarding the second point, the solutions are divided in:
- Machines used on rivers. These are able to intercept waste before it reaches the ocean; it is fundamental considered that the majority of plastics in seas and oceans is carried there by rivers. Two examples of such machines anre the Interceptor of the Dutch NGO The Ocean Cleanup (able to collect 100 tonnes per day) and Mr. Trash Wheel, used in Baltimore City.
- Small-scale systems to be used along the coast, especially in harbours, to collect floating rubbish. The system developed and implemented by Seabin Project is part of this category. It consist in a bin in which marine water is pumped; the bin is able to block not only large waste but also microplastics and oils.
- Large-scale systems designed to gather and collect plastics in the oceans. In particular, the project of The Ocean Cleanup is aimed at the collection of plastics of the so-called Great Garbage Patch of Pacific Ocean, the largest “island” of plastics in the world. The developed system consist of a waterway barricade able to catch the slow of floating garbage so that it can be accumulated and transported on land.
Besides these considerably important engineering solutions, there are also other initiatives like the one launched by Onlus Plastic Free for cleaning the banks of the river Po from Piedmont to Veneto, with the active involvement of the citizenry.
To learn more:
Twenty plastic-busting inventions to clean our rivers and seas (China Dialogue)
The Ocean Cleanup Youtube channel