THIS COMPANY CHANGED EVERYTHING WE THOUGHT WE KNEW ABOUT PLASTIC IN THE OCEAN

In the stretch between Hawaii and the coast of California, there lies a collection of plastic. Winds and ocean currents have brought over 5 trillion pieces of plastic together from countries along the Pacific Rim, including nations in Asia, North America and South America, to this central location. It continues to swirl and collect, and if left untouched, it will greatly damage our ecosystems, health and economies.  While news outlets had previously reported that there was nothing humans could do to solve the issue, that it was too late, The Ocean Cleanup thought outside the box, and we are blown away.

When it was first discovered in 1997, it was the size of the state of Texas. Yesterday it was reported by USA Today that the patch has doubled in size – and continues to grow.  While no official government is offering assistance, private conservation groups have taken the responsibility upon themselves.  The Ocean Cleanup has planned to launch a $32 million dollar cleanup campaign later this year.  They’re in the process of developing complex and intelligent technology to remove much of the patch.

The Ocean Cleanup is on track to remove 50% of the plastic in 5 years, and anticipates a plastic free ocean by 2050.

In a world overwhelmed by negative press, we are moved and inspired by their solution and optimistic outlook on the matter.

Why The Great Pacific Garbage Patch Matters

The Ocean Cleanup, a not for profit, was founded by a Dutch teenager, Boyan Slat, who is now 23 years old. They have divided the issue into three sectors:

• Environment: The plastic pollution impacts more than 600 marine species. Plastic pollution in the world’s oceans is one of the biggest environmental issues of our time, impacting more than 600 marine species.
• Economy: According to the United Nations, plastic pollution is conservatively estimated to have a yearly financial damage of 13 billion USD. The costs stem from the plastic’s impact on marine life, tourism, fisheries and businesses.
• Health: Plastic pollution does not only impact sea life, it also carries toxic pollutants into the food chain – a food chain including us humans.

The Ocean Cleanup’s Plan of Attack

They claim that conventional methods (vessels and nets) would take literally thousands of years, and tens of billions of dollars to make an impact.  So they made up their own system.  Here is a breakdown:

• The system’s floater (a hard-walled pipe) together with the screen, will catch and concentrate plastic. The pipe is flexible enough to follow the waves yet rigid enough to maintain shape.  
• The screen is an important factor because different from a net, the impermeable screen will catch subsurface debris. Therefore, sea life can safely pass underneath. Because most buoyant plastic lies within the top few meters of the ocean, tests show the screen is able to catch anything from 1 CM plastic particles, up to fishing nets up to several meters in size. The screen is impermeable to marine life.
• The system, anchored 600M below the surface, will move slower than the ocean (and the plastic) thus able to efficiently capture it. 
• Once the system is full, the plastic will be extracted and loaded to a support vessel, where the plastic will be taken back to land for processing, recycling and resale of high quality products. By selling the branded material for reuse, the aim is to make the cleanup self-sustainable. 

How can you help? You can help fund the cleanup or even join the forward-thinking team.  Be sure to follow them on Instagram and stay up to date with the progress.