Pacific Ocean cleanup to start in 2018

Utrecht, The Netherlands (May 11, 2017) – The Ocean Cleanup, the Dutch foundation developing advanced technologies to rid the oceans of plastic, today announced it will start extracting plastic from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch within the next 12 months.

The Ocean Cleanup further announced that parts of its first cleanup system are already in production. Thanks to an improved design, The Ocean Cleanup has increased the efficiency of the system, allowing for the cleanup of half the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in just 5 years.

Founded in 2013 by then 18-year-old Boyan Slat, 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 improvements announced today involve 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.

This new, modular technology and the successful funding round announced on May 3, 2017, enable The Ocean Cleanup to accelerate production, deployment and the actual extraction of plastic from the ocean. 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.

“At The Ocean Cleanup we are always looking for ways to make the cleanup faster, better and cheaper,” shared Slat. “The cleanup of the world’s oceans is just around the corner. 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.”

Close-up of The Ocean Cleanup system. © Erwin Zwart/The Ocean Cleanup

Aerial of The Ocean Cleanup system. © Erwin Zwart/The Ocean Cleanup

Anchor for The Ocean Cleanup system. © Erwin Zwart/The Ocean Cleanup

Underneath view of The Ocean Cleanup system. © Erwin Zwart/The Ocean Cleanup

Source: Citigate First Financial