A passive system could clean up 90% of plastic in the ocean

The Ocean Cleanup is a Dutch non-profit organization aiming to clean up 90% of the floating plastic pollution in our oceans – easy peasy lemon squeezy 🍋.

To achieve this feat, they want to intervene in the ocean itself to remove the existing plastic and in the rivers to prevent the plastic from entering the ocean in the first place.

In the ocean, they associated a cork floater that passively filters plastic - without harming the aquatic wildlife - with a “parachute” that slows down the system so that the current can trap the plastic into the floater. Once it is full, a boat comes and collects the “garbage”.

Otherwise, they aim to deploy “interceptors” in the 1,000 most polluted rivers worldwide within the next five years. Basically, the system consists of a couple of fixed floaters that redirect the waste into conveyor belts collecting the plastic.

Fixed floaters redirecting the plastic into conveyor belts which collect it

This project proves that we don’t need ultra-sophisticated technology to make a real difference. The founder was 18 when he started the organization. The kids are alright ✨

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