It is without a doubt that there is a staggering amount of garbage festered across the planet. There is an estimated 2.12 billion tons of waste across the world each year. Ninety-nine percent of the things that people buy are thrown out in half a year. (1) Unfortunately, this isn’t just limited to litter on land. At any given time, there are over 5 trillion pieces of plastic in the ocean. This litter collects up because of ocean currents and accumulates in specific garbage patches across the sea. The biggest one is between Hawaii and California. A state-of-the-art ocean clean-up is currently working to solve this problem. In 5 years, as much as 50% of the garbage patch in the Pacific Ocean could be cleaned up. (2)
State-Of-The-Art System
Meet Ocean Cleanup – the company involved in this endeavor founded by an 18-year old named Boyan Slat. (3) Cleaning up the ocean with old and traditional methods such as using nets would take an exhaustive amount of time. The system that Ocean Cleanup developed uses a 600-meter-long floater that rests at the surface of the water with a ‘tapered 3-meter-deep skirt’ attached underneath. As the plastic is being carried by the current, the system moves just a bit faster than the plastic allowing for its capture. It can retain plastic ranging from a few millimeters in length to larger pieces spanning multiple meters. (4)
Future Impact Of Ocean Cleanup
The Ocean Cleanup has had very ambitious scale-up predictions for the future. Once they deploy fleets of systems expanded into many of the world’s ocean gyres, they predict that 90% of the plastic could be removed by 2040. The more systems that are deployed into the ocean, the faster that they will be cleaned. Computer algorithms help detect the best deployment locations for the systems. As there are no direct shipping routes straight through the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, there is a minuscule chance that incoming vessels will interrupt operations. In the chance that it did happen, the systems are equipped with safety navigation signals, lanterns, reflectors, and beacons. It is designed to withstand storms and forces from the ocean as well. (4)
Is The System Safe For Marine Life?
Safety for marine life is probably one question that comes to mind when pondering a massive operation like cleaning the ocean. The company has stated that sea life safety is at the heart of what they do, and they have specific technology designed to do just that. Their systems move at such a slow pace that it gives sea creatures time to swim away. In addition, the current flows underneath the screen of the system, which guides creatures that can’t move actively. Sea creatures won’t have to worry about getting stuck in a net either. This is because the screen isn’t made of that thin material that so easily snags sea life. Periodic removal of the plastic also ensures that someone will be around to observe if any marine life is present before the plastic is then lifted out of the water. (4) With looming crises of water shortages and pollution, it’s nice to know that someone is out there working to clean up the mess we’ve created.