These floating pipes are the paving paths to clean the ocean

Mumbai, August 28: On September 8, a massive and controversial plastic-cleaning system will be launched into the Pacific Ocean named as ‘The Ocean Cleanup Project.’

 

The goal of the system, created by The Ocean Cleanup, a nonprofit organization founded in 2013 by 24-year-old Dutch innovator Boyan Slat, is to remove plastic debris from the now-famous marine area known as the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch." Located in the North Pacific Ocean, it's actually less of a patch and more like a swirling vortex over three times the size of Spain and more than twice the size of Turkey or Texas.

By 2050, the amount of plastic in the oceans is expected to outweigh fish. That garbage kills marine life, destroys ecosystems that people depend on to live, and even makes its way into the food supply, causing fish to absorb chemicals that contaminate the seafood we consume.

 

The system consists of a 600-meter-long floater that sits at the surface of the water and a tapered 3-meter-deep skirt attached below. The floater provides buoyancy to the system and prevents plastic from flowing over it, while the skirt stops debris from escaping underneath.

But while dealing with plastic pollution is urgent, a number of experts say that The Ocean Cleanup's plans are unlikely to be effective, and could potentially cause more harm than benefit.

Last year, Slat told that he believes their cleanup arrays will allow the group to "clean up 50% of the patch in five years," once they are fully deployed.

 

The system will eventually consist of at least 60 arrays, and the group is inviting corporations and private groups to sponsor their own arrays as well.

"Our goal is to have a full-scale operation running by 2020," a spokesperson from The Ocean Cleanup.