Dutch foundation looking to clean up the Pacific Ocean of all its plastic. Operation to start next year

With around eight million metric tons of plastic being dumped into our oceans every year, cleaning up is a daunting task. But a Dutch foundation has been looking at new technologies that could help use the oceanic currents in order to get the plastic out of the water and also recycle it for future use.

The Ocean Cleanup announced that it succeeded in creating its first cleanup system. Parts are already in production and the foundation has already set a date for testing (later this year)  while cleaning operations are to start in 2018.

Ocean Cleanup announced back in May that it successfully ended a funding campaign that allowed it to accelerate production, deployment and the actual extraction of plastic from the ocean. Parts of the cleaning system are already in production and the foundation says that it will be able to clean up half the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in just 5 years.

The main idea behind The Ocean Cleanup is to let the ocean currents do the work. An installation of U-shaped screens channels floating plastic to a central point. The concentrated plastic can then be extracted and shipped to shore for recycling into durable products.

The advancements allowed for the introduction of a mobile, or drifting system. Rather than fixing the floating screens to the seabed at great depths, The Ocean Cleanup will apply sea anchors to ensure the floating screens move slower than the plastic. Rather than one massive barrier, the improved, modular cleanup system consists of a fleet of screens.

Ocean Cleanup wants to make the technology work better, faster and cheaper, in order to make it efficient.

“At The Ocean Cleanup, we are always looking for ways to make the cleanup faster, better and cheaper. Today is another important day in moving in that direction,” said Boyan Slat, founder and CEO of Ocean Cleanup. “The cleanup of the world’s oceans is just around the corner.”

Testing of the first system will start off the American west coast by the end of 2017. With the first deployment in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in the first half of 2018, The Ocean Cleanup will start its mission two years ahead of schedule.

“Due to our attitude of ‘testing to learn’ until the technology is proven, I am confident that, with our expert partners, we will succeed in our mission,” said Slat speaking at the Werkspoorkathedraal in Utrecht.

The Ocean Cleanup is a Dutch foundation that designs and develops advanced technologies to rid the oceans of plastic. Founded in 2013 by then 18-year-old Boyan Slat, The Ocean Cleanup now employs approximately 65 engineers and researchers.

Getting rid of plastic waste that ended up in our oceans has become one of the great challenges for governments and environmentalists alike. The problems have been caused by the proliferation of plastic products in the last 70 years and according to some estimates, current plastic production reaches 300 million tons a year. From this, 8 million tons make their way into the oceans.

According to Sailors of the Sea, during the 2012 International Coastal Cleanup, the top five plastic items found to be polluting our oceans were food wrappers and containers, beverage bottles, plastic bags, caps and lids and cutlery items. Cigarettes and cigarette filters were the top most common items found during the cleanup, accounting for over 64% of all found waste.

Specialists warn that plastic debris is hazardous to marine life as it entangles or is eaten by fish, turtles, seabirds and whales. Plastic particles floating in the ocean can also be small platforms to transport environmental pollutants and invasive species throughout the sea.