Success for "The Ocean Cleanup": 29 Tons of Plastic Garbage Collected in the Ocean

Thursday 21 October 2021

Success for “The Ocean Cleanup”
29 tons of plastic waste accumulated in the sea

The first plastic waste collector from “The Ocean Cleanup” was launched in September 2018; The project experienced failure after failure and was criticized for its lack of effectiveness. Now finally a breakthrough: Hundreds of meters tall net construction collects tons of plastic waste in the Pacific.

In a testing phase lasting several weeks, the organization “The Ocean Cleanup” plastic waste collector made a breakthrough in the Pacific. In nine missions, the system collected about 29 tons of plastic waste on the ocean surface, the organization announced Wednesday in Victoria, Canada.

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For them, this successful test is proof that the technology works and that the oceans can be cleaned of waste, said Dutchman Boyan Slatt, the organization’s initiator and head, before representatives of the press. “I think it’s really a breakthrough for humanity,” said the 27-year-old.

800 meter long mesh construction

In late July, the modified System 002 with the nickname “Jenny” was dismantled off the west coast of Canada to the so-called Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Scientists estimate that 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic will accumulate in this vortex of the Pacific Ocean. The garbage catcher from “The Ocean Cleanup” is an 800-metre-tall trap construction that is slowly pulled through the water by two U-shaped tugs. The plastic waste that is collected in it is loaded onto ships and recycled on land.

After the end of the testing phase, System 002 should go on sale again this Thursday, the company announced. According to the plan of “The Ocean Cleanup”, a fleet of ten cleaning systems with a length of 2500 meters should be in use in the long run. It aims to halve the amount of waste in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch every five years.

The first garbage collector was launched in San Francisco in September 2018. However, the system was damaged during its test operation and was unable to capture the waste as planned. There have been several failures to develop the project supported by companies and universities. There is also criticism of the effectiveness and stability of the system.