An inspiration to climate-focused Bristol? One man's mission to clean our oceans

The Ocean Cleanup, a non-profit engineering environmental organisation headquartered in The Netherlands, has in recent years garnered significant media attention (as well as a large public following) for confronting a global issue that has long plagued the natural environment – plastic pollution in our oceans and rivers. Founded in 2013 by Dutch inventor Boyan Slat, at the age of just 18, this foundation has grown to consist of 120 staff, all working on testing and prototyping new technology to extract plastic from rivers before they reach the ocean, then replicating this on a larger scale so that it’s employable for use in locations such as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

The organisation produces a river-based system dubbed the ‘Interceptor’, which was first introduced in 2019 after four years of development. It’s a solar-powered barge-like vessel that uses a barrier to direct floating plastic into its mouth, where a conveyor belt can then place the debris into dumpsters. Once it has reached its capacity of 100,000kg, the dumpsters are extracted and the plastic is sent for recycling. For Slat, this represents a scalable solution that could be implemented across the globe. The price of an Interceptor is not cheap, but Slat is confident that with the increase in production, the cost of $800,000 per vessel can be vastly reduced.

The issue of financing research and development doesn’t seem particularly problematic considering their partners include major companies such as Maersk, Deloitte and Coca Cola. Funding has also been secured through governmental sponsorships, such as by the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure. Coca Cola’s partnership does beg the question of “greenwashing” – a tactic used by companies to present a marketable image of being environmentally responsible, when in reality the input of plastic far outweighs their actions for mitigating its effects. According to research by the Changing Markets Foundation, Coca Cola remains the biggest plastic polluter in the world, with a footprint of 2.9 million tonnes per year. It has thus has come under fire by activists who demand that the company do more to curb its production.

Ocean Cleanup estimates that a thousand rivers account for nearly 80% of plastic pollution, and by cooperating with governmental officials on a local level they can begin the process of cleaning up our rivers. Plastic appears to be an inescapable material for us all, and the cost on our oceans and rivers is well documented. Notable effects include the contamination of beaches and the disruption of food chains. A 2015 study concluded that around eight million tonnes of plastic enter oceans each year.

The NGO reached a critical milestone in 2021 with the launching of ‘System 2’, technology that‘s adaptable for operating in hostile ocean conditions. Videos showing their catches have grown support and reach amongst the public, providing a direct insight into the pervasion of the material. For instance, one catch brought to light a buoy from 1966 that has been floating around for decades.

Against the backdrop of despondency and paralysis that many activists feel towards their governments, environmental NGOs are beacons of light that play a vital role in aiding education, but also in providing practical solutions to a ubiquitous problem that’s one of the most pressing of our time.

Written by Suleiman Mushtaq