The Ocean Cleanup, a nonprofit that aims to rid the oceans of harmful plastic founded by entrepreneur Boyan Slat, has unveiled “The Interceptor,” a new vessel that collects plastic from rivers, then deposits the waste into floating dumpsters. Put simply, it’s a catamaran that glides across rivers while channeling plastic toward a conveyor belt, which then gets deposited into attached dumpsters. Read more for two videos and additional information.
Boyan Slat estimates that 1,000 rivers, or around 1% of the global total, contain roughly 80% of the plastic that ends up in the ocean out to sea, thus making them responsible for the most marine pollution. The worst offenders are small waterways in urban areas, and that’s exactly what “The Interceptor” was made to cleanup. The vessel moves with the water’s current and plastic on the surface gets pushed toward a conveyor belt and then funneled into six dumpsters on a separate barge that floats underneath.
When these dumpsters become full, the system automatically sends a message to operators on land who can then dispatch a boat to tow the barge to shore. The Ocean Cleanup claims that a single vessel can remove around 110-tons of plastic per day, and all of its lights, sensors, as well as conveyor belt are 100% solar-powered.
