Innovative Ways We're Cleaning Up Ocean Trash
Photo by Angela Compagnone
What do disposable drink cups, Ziploc bags and shampoo bottles all have in common? They’re made from plastic. Plastic plays a large role in our everyday lives, with many common products being made from the material.
With so much plastic being produced and used daily, it makes sense why a large amount of it becomes pollution in our oceans. From beach pollution to litter being swept off by the wind, there are many ways that plastics end up in the ocean. Each year, it is estimated that as many as 8 million metric tons of plastics are found in our oceans and now as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, this is only compounding the problem, as plastic PPE gear is manufactured and polluted into our seas.
The amount of trash that winds up floating through the waves has an impact on the marine life housed there. In fact, plastics have been found in more that 60 percent of all seabirds and in 100 percent of turtle species.
Photo by the NOAA
Although, despite the seemingly dire amount of plastic pollution in the oceans, there are some great efforts underway to clean up the pollution. Read on to learn more about some of the innovative solutions being used to clean up our waters.
1. System 001
Boyan Slat, CEO of The Ocean Cleanup, has invented a technology that aims to target the large trash buildup between California and Hawaii that is known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The system is a large, floating boom with a skirt attached that moves slowly through the ocean and attempts to comb the debris from the waters.
Photo by The Ocean Cleanup
2. Seabin V5
A group of Australian surfers founded the startup, Seabin, to develop the Seabin V5, an ocean cleanup technology made from recyclable materials that is essentially a floating trash can designed for marinas, ports, and other areas with calm water. The device operates like a floating vacuum that filters the water to collect the plastic and oils and leaves only clean water following the cleaning process.
Photo by Seabin Project
3. Mr. Trash Wheel
The Inner Harbor Water Wheel, also called Mr. Trash Wheel, is a trash interceptor that aims to clean up the Inner Harbor of Baltimore, Maryland. Powered by hydro and solar power, the wheel pulls trash and plastic litter out of the water before it can reach the Atlantic Ocean.
A large wheel placed at the end of a river or stream pulls trash onto a solar-powered conveyor belt and puts it on a contained floating barge.
Photo by Intelligent Living
4. FRED
Student interns from several Southern California high schools and colleges have teamed up with nonprofit Clear Blue Sea to reduce plastic in the Pacific Gyre. Floating Robot Eliminating Debris — also called FRED — is an ocean-traveling robot that runs on renewable energy and vacuums up larger plastics in the ocean.
This project is currently in development and is expected to be completed in 2023.
Photo by Clear Blue Sea
5. WasteShark
You know how the giant whale sharks move slowly though the oceans, filtering food to eat in its wide mouth? The WasteShark system works the same way. This ocean-cleaning drone skims the ocean’s surface and filters the water to comb out any plastics or litter. The system can collect about 400 pounds of litter in one 16 hour trip through the waters.
Photo by Sky News
For details on these types of ocean cleanup projects and more, check out this infographic.
A special thanks to FloridaPanhandle.com for contributing this infographic to our blog!
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