The Ocean Cleanup

A goal to have 90 percent of floating plastic reduced in the ocean by 2040, sounds incredible, does it not? That is the goal that the Ocean Cleanup has in mind and is in pursuit of fulfilling.

So, what is the Ocean Cleanup? Started in 2013 by Dutch inventor Boyan Slat, the Ocean Cleanup is a non-profit environmental organisation focused on pollution cleanup in oceans and in water bodies that lead to the ocean.

The concept of their technology includes a vessel that gets deployed into the ocean and goes through a route, picking up floating plastic along the way. Named System 001 Wilson, the first version of this technology was officially released in 2018 after several years of funding, test runs, and redesigning. The first version, although passed in tests, was unable to hold onto collected waste, due to barrier issues. A month of remodelling, and a few more runs, but due to varying difficulties, the system did not operate at expected efficiency.

Then, in July of 2021, System 002 Jenny, was released. A successful prototype, Jenny took charge of the largest plastic accumulation zone, also called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, and after nine test extractions, collected 28000 kilograms of plastic. This system is much smaller, can receive maintenance offshore, and was revised while taking into consideration more variables to overcome the previous fatigue issues and slowdowns.

The team also has a similar system for retrieving plastic from rivers before they enter oceans. Called the Interceptor, the fully solar-powered technology creates a barrier across the river, guiding the waste into the system through conveyor belts, but not disrupting passing boats. When filled, local operators receive notifications to empty the dumpster, and the next cycle begins. The first prototype was placed in Indonesia, with others run in Malaysia, and the Dominican Republic; the system is made scalable, with future deployments in many more locations planned.

The team plans to work with partners and use collected plastic to create durable plastic products, demonstrated by their first product: sunglasses. The goal for the plastic collected is as Slat says, “to give it a new life.”

This take on plastic pollution control is new, innovative, and capable of change.