The sea is polluted with tons of plastic waste. This can now be collected again with the help of a new technology. The successful test phase for “The Ocean Cleanup” has just ended.
Victoria – In a test phase lasting several weeks, the plastic garbage collector from the organization “The Ocean Cleanup” achieved success in the Pacific.
In nine missions, the system collected almost 29 tons of plastic waste on the sea surface, the organization announced on Wednesday in Victoria, Canada. For him, this successful test is proof that the technology works and that the oceans can be cleaned of garbage, said the initiator and head of the organization, the Dutchman Boyan Slat, in front of representatives of the press. “I think this is really a success for humanity,” said the 27-year-old.
At the end of July, the revised system 002 with the nickname “Jenny” ran from Canada’s west coast to the so-called Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Scientists estimate that 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic will collect in this vortex in the Pacific. The rubbish catcher from “The Ocean Cleanup” is an 800-meter-long net construction that is slowly pulled through the water by two U-shaped tugs. The plastic waste that collects in it is loaded onto the ships and recycled on land.
After the end of the test phase, System 002 should set sail again on Thursday, the company said. According to the plans of “The Ocean Cleanup”, a fleet of ten cleaning systems with a length of 2500 meters each should be in use in the long term. The aim is to halve the amount of garbage in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch every five years.
The first garbage collector started from San Francisco in September 2018. However, the system was damaged during its test operation and was unable to capture the garbage as planned. There have been many failures in developing the project, which is supported by companies and universities. There is also criticism of the effectiveness and sustainability of the system. dpa
