World’s First Ocean Cleaning System Will Be Launched in Japan

Boyan Slat, a 20-year-old creative mind Dutch guy has a lot on his plate, when he’s set out to do nothing less than rid the oceans of the millions of tons of plastic garbage that circle along their currents. He’s leading one of the most aspiring ocean cleanup efforts ever: to halve the amount of plastic debris floating in the Pacific within a decade. He’s judging by the backing that has rallied behind his innovative approach to the problem, there’s a good opportunity that he just might succeed.

The gigantic rotating currents in the world’s oceans make amassing or even monitoring garbage problematic, but he’s Ocean Cleanup Foundation is emerging a way to use those currents to its advantage. 

He envisages long-distance arrays of floats that’d skim garbage from the surface while letting aquatic life and the currents themselves to pass by beneath. The company estimations that a 100km stationary cleanup array could eliminate 42% of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch over ten years, total representing a 70,320,000kg of plastic waste. For that purpose now, they’re installing a 2,000m trial system in Japan, which will become the longest floating structure in the world when it’ll complete. Slat leads a team of hundred oceanographers, naval engineers, translators, designers, and several others. He’s also getting support from vital political figures, like the mayor of Tsushima and the mayor of Los Angeles. Moreover, there’re some technical issues with the plan, which were brought up in a review. However, we’re optimism that Slat works the kinks out of his plan and succeeds his visionary goals!

Boyan Slat, founder and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup says, well, taking care of the world’s ocean garbage problem is one of the largest environmental challenges mankind faces today. Not only will this first cleanup array contribute to cleaner waters and coasts but it simultaneously is a vital step towards our goal of cleaning up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. This deployment will allow us to study the system’s efficiency and durability over time.