Get ready for a clean, blue sea

You probably remember the innovative plastic waste collection system invented by Boyan Slat. The Dutch entrepreneur is glad to report that, after one year of testing the Ocean Cleanup solution, it is successfully capturing plastic debris.

Launched from Vancouver in June, System 001/B is The Ocean Cleanup’s second attempt to prove its concept of collecting garbage from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Besides collecting ‘ghost nets’ and visible pieces of plastic waste, the updated system is efficiently capturing microplastics as small as 1mm. Slat says he is ‘pleasantly surprised’ his system can achieve this.

‘After beginning this journey seven years ago, this first year of testing in the unforgivable environment of the high seas strongly indicates that our vision is attainable and that the beginning of our mission to rid the ocean of plastic garbage, which has accumulated for decades, is within our sights,’ so Slat comments.

‘Our team has remained steadfast in its determination to solve immense technical challenges to arrive at this point. Though we still have much more work to do, I am eternally grateful for the team’s commitment and dedication to the mission and look forward to continuing to the next phase of development.’