The Ocean Cleanup network has captured 28 tons of trash in their tests, so they are going to make it three times bigger
"While it’s just the tip of the iceberg, these kilograms are the most important ones we will ever collect, because they are proof that cleanup is possible." – Boyan Slat. pic.twitter.com/m0Ba8pz33Z
— The Ocean Cleanup (@TheOceanCleanup) October 21, 2021
The Ocean Cleanup initiative and its network to capture plastics in the ocean are taking bigger and bigger steps. In August we saw their length increase to 800 meters after fixing their initial problems, and recent tests have been more successful than they expected.
The beginning of the end of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. pic.twitter.com/JNWIbpYJHa
— The Ocean Cleanup (@TheOceanCleanup) October 21, 2021
This success is measured in the kilograms of garbage that have been removed from the sea thanks to the ‘System 002’ network: more than 28,600 between baskets, fishing equipment, toothbrushes and even toilets. The CEO of Ocean Cleanup calls this “the beginning of the end of the great Pacific plastic slick.”
“We are going to need a bigger ship”
In port and docked. ✔️ pic.twitter.com/dQDWHSnxpy
— The Ocean Cleanup (@TheOceanCleanup) October 20, 2021
Seeing all the garbage they have been able to collect, those responsible are clear: they will start working on a ‘System 003’ network three times larger, with a length of 2.5 km. What’s more, they want to make ten of those nets to create a ‘fleet’ made up of several ships carrying potentially 30 times more trash.
They also add another objective: that the fuel of these ships is clean. The initiative is already working with the shipping company Maersk to make it possible and to offset the emissions made in all the previous tests in order to boast of being carbon neutral.
If successful, that fleet may be able to remove 50% of the plastics from the Pacific blotch every five years. With these forecasts, the goal of ending 90% of all the plastics that we have thrown into the sea becomes more feasible.
