Every year we search for interesting projects in the world to take care of the planet. This year we have found The Ocean Cleanup project.
A very interesting and much needed project to clean our seas, oceans and rivers. The Ocean Cleanup, a non-profit organization, is developing advanced technologies to rid the world’s oceans of plastic. The project’s aim is reach a 90% reduction in ocean plastic, and then they’ll consider their work done.
The problem
The Ocean Cleanup is designing and developing cleanup systems to clean up what is already polluting our oceans and to intercept plastic on its way to the ocean via rivers.
A significant percentage of the plastic that enters the oceans from rivers and other sources during a transfer that can take many years, drifts into large systems of circulating ocean currents, also known as gyres. Once trapped in a gyre, the plastic will slowly break down into microplastics and become increasingly easier to mistake for food by sea life.
The solution
The interceptor is a boat 100% solar-powered that extracts plastic autonomously, and can be placed in the majority of the world’s most polluting rivers.
Recycling the plastic
And then? What happens with the plastic? Simple, it is transformed and new materials are used to produce glass.
