River interceptors and booms
Floating barriers and conveyor systems anchored in rivers catch plastic before it reaches the sea, where it is far harder to recover.
Research published in 2021 found that about 1,000 rivers carry some 80 percent of the plastic that rivers bring to the ocean, which makes rivers the most efficient place to intercept. The Ocean Cleanup’s Interceptors, RiverRecycle’s river cleaning systems and One Earth One Ocean’s boats all work here, and the best projects fund themselves by recycling what they collect.