River and ocean interception
Catching plastic in rivers, harbours and coasts before it spreads further.
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Organization
Bocas Recycle Center
Bocas del Toro, Panama
Local recycling company in Bocas del Toro, Panama, that collects plastics, cardboard, cartons, cans and glass, and is partnering with One Earth One Ocean and Seas & Straws to add ocean plastic recovery.
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Technology
Bubble barriers
Deployed in European cities
A perforated tube on the riverbed releases a curtain of bubbles that pushes floating and suspended plastic to a catchment at the bank.
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Organization
Clean Up Australia
Sydney, Australia | Founded 1989
Founded by Ian Kiernan in 1989, Clean Up Australia Day brings communities, schools, businesses and Rotary clubs together each year to clear litter, much of it plastic, from parks, beaches and waterways.
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Research
More than 1000 rivers account for 80% of global riverine plastic emissions into the ocean
Meijer, L. et al. | Science Advances | 2021
Showed that plastic comes from many small and medium rivers, not just a handful of large ones, which shapes where interceptors and collection should go.
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Organization
One Earth One Ocean
Munich and Kiel, Germany | Founded 2011
German nonprofit that builds its own waste-collecting boats and runs local collection and sorting teams to clear plastic from rivers, harbours and coasts.
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Organization
Parley for the Oceans
Works with brands and creatives on its Avoid, Intercept, Redesign strategy, turning intercepted plastic into products.
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Technology
Recycling ships at sea: the SeeElefant
In development; first ship planned for 2027
A converted freighter with sorting, shredding and recycling systems on board that can anchor at plastic hotspots with no recycling capacity and process about 60,000 tonnes a year.
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Technology
River interceptors and booms
Deployed in many countries
Floating barriers and conveyor systems anchored in rivers catch plastic before it reaches the sea, where it is far harder to recover.
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Organization
RiverRecycle
Helsinki, Finland | Founded 2019
Finnish company that installs river cleaning systems on heavily polluted rivers and turns the collected plastic into building boards, creating local jobs.
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Organization
Seabin Project
Australia
Floating bins for marinas and ports that catch floating litter and microplastics, paired with local data and school programmes.
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Organization
The Great Bubble Barrier
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Uses a curtain of air bubbles across a canal or river to steer plastic to the bank for collection while fish and boats pass freely.
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Organization
The Ocean Cleanup
Rotterdam, Netherlands | Founded 2013
Develops river Interceptors to stop plastic before it reaches the sea and large ocean systems to remove plastic already floating in garbage patches.
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Organization
Tijuana River Project
Cross-border river pollution reporting and restoration on the Tijuana River, linked to Rotary global grant proposals with RiverRecycle.
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Technology
Waste collection boats
Deployed
Slow-moving catamarans with nets collect floating plastic in harbours, estuaries and coastal waters, then bring it ashore for sorting.