The world’s waterways are in desperate need of help. Despite increased awareness of just how bad the situation is, garbage is still making its way to the ocean at a shocking pace.
As the Independent reported, according to a recent study, 11 million tones of plastic ended up in the ocean in 2016, and that annual rate is expected to triple over the next 20 years.
At that rate, the volume of plastic in the ocean would exceed the volume of fish by 2050.
One startup is on a mission to prevent that from happening, however, and it just got a big boost from rock icons Coldplay.
In a tweet, the rockers announced a partnership with Ocean Cleanup, a nonprofit organization that has an ambitious goal of reducing ocean plastic by 90%. In the partnership, Coldplay will be sponsoring a watercraft that will patrol rivers in Malaysia, collecting up to 100 tons of trash per day.
The vessel, Interceptor 005, aka Neon Moon 1, is currently under construction in Malaysia and is due to deploy in Spring 2021.
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The band has a long history of supporting good causes and they have no problem attaching their name to this one, either.
“Without action, there could be more plastic than fish in the oceans by 2050, which is why The Ocean Cleanup’s work is so vital,” the band said in a statement . “We’re proud to sponsor Interceptor 005 – aka Neon Moon 1 – which will catch thousands of tons of waste before it reaches the ocean.”
The Ocean Cleanup has been attacking the plastic pollution problem on a couple of fronts.
On the one hand, the group has made expeditions to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch to deploy a sort of floating net that acts as an “artificial coastline” on which all that trash can passively wash up.
It requires extensive monitoring to ensure no sea life gets entangled, but so far it has been successful at clearing trash from the ocean.
The other hand is where Coldplay’s help comes in.
It’s not just a matter of cleaning what’s already out in the ocean, but preventing more trash from getting there, which is where the Interceptors come in.
Interceptors use a barrier to guide trash floating downstream onto a conveyor belt that picks it up, removing it from the river. They’re 10% solar powered and can work autonomously, and the design of the barriers allow river traffic to pass unimpeded.
Much like Coldplay, the Interceptors are going worldwide.
They’ve already successfully been put to work in the Dominican Republic and Malaysia, with more planned for Thailand, Vietnam, the United States, Jamaica, and Indonesia.
The goal is to have Interceptors in 1,000 rivers around the globe — and a boost from one of the world’s biggest bands is sure to help with that.
h/t: The Ocean Cleanup
