Mission: Clean Our Oceans
A 2,000 foot-long floating pipe nicknamed Wilson is about to start its mission to collect all the plastic in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
Photo: Ocean Cleanup Foundation
Last month, the Ocean Cleanup foundation launched the world's first ocean cleanup system out of San Francisco to take on the notorious "Great Pacific Garbage Patch," a giant floating trash pile between San Francisco and Hawaii that is twice the size of Texas. It's the largest of five ocean trash piles on Earth.
The pipe is set to arrive at its destination in the ocean on Tuesday and begin the cleanup process soon after, according to a company spokesperson.
The pipe, which is in the shape of a U, features a 3-meter deep net underneath it to trap floating plastic under the water's surface. A boat will return to the spot every couple of months to remove the debris -- like a garbage truck for the ocean -- and return it to shore. The goal is to recycle the plastic and create new products.
How it works
"That plastic is still going to be there in one year. It's still going to be there in ten years," said 24-year-old Ocean Cleanup founder and CEO Boyan Slat. "It's probably still going to be there in 100 years, so really only if we go out there and clean it up this amount of plastic is going to go down."
The trash collects in the middle of the U-shaped pipe until a garbage boat comes to collect it. The device has satellite pods that communicate with the company's headquarters in the Netherlands and other boats to share its location. It's controlled remotely and has two cameras located in the center.
The Ocean Cleanup team has been researching and testing the pipe for the past five years. In 2013, the project raised over $2 million through crowdfunding and has since raised over $30 million.
The group hopes the pipe will collect 50 tons of trash by April 2019 and clean 90% of the world's ocean plastic by the year 2040.
Let's hope it works fine!
Source: CNN & Ocean Cleanup Foundation
Cover picture: Plastique Pollution Coalition
Just the other day, I was chatting with someone about the pollution that’s happening. The subject of oceans came up as a topic and we both agreed something needs to be done. Here in Los Angeles, we’ve been the use of plastic straws in public places.
Thanks for sharing! x
Michelle
dressingwithstyle-s.com
Wow, wonderful to hear and see the work that is coming to help the oceans. So important to spread the word about helping this beautiful Earth!
Good news!
Glad to know that.
Hope they will clean up everything and protect our seas and marine life!