The Ocean Cleanup - Waging war on ocean plastic

Every year, millions of tons of plastic enter the oceans, of which the majority spills out from rivers. A portion of this plastic travels to ocean garbage patches, getting caught in a vortex of circulating currents. Marine plastics are unintentionally ingested by marine species such as fish. Floating plastics also contribute to the spread of invasive marine organisms and bacteria, which disrupt ecosystems. According to a study conducted by Deloitte and the Ocean Cleanup, yearly economic costs due to marine plastic pollution are estimated to be between $6-19 billion USD. The costs stem in part from the plastic’s impact on fisheries and aquaculture. To address this challenge, The Ocean Cleanup is developing a passive cleanup method, which uses the natural oceanic forces to rapidly and cost-effectively clean up the plastic already in the oceans. With a full fleet of cleanup systems in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the largest accumulation of ocean plastic in the world, the organization aims to clean up 50% of its plastic every five years. The Ocean Cleanup has also developed the first scalable solution to efficiently intercept plastic in rivers before it reaches the oceans. By placing Interceptors in 1000 strategic locations in rivers around the world, the organization expects to halt 80% of plastic from entering the oceans in five years from rollout.

www.theoceancleanup.com