4 ways to tackle ocean trash besides Ocean Cleanup’s broken system
A controversial plan to capture trash in the Pacific isn’t panning out as planned
Cleaning up ocean pollution is no simple task, as an effort to fish plastic out of the Pacific Ocean is revealing.
In September, scientists launched a 600-meter-long boom meant to herd plastic debris from the great Pacific garbage patch into a net (SN Online: 9/7/18). The trash accumulation, which is twice the size of Texas, swirls in waters between California and Hawaii.
But some scientists worry the system, designed by a Dutch organization called Ocean Cleanup, could harm marine wildlife. Others aren’t convinced it will even work. Four months in, some of those concerns appear to be founded: Wind and currents have pushed trash into the rig, but the setup hasn’t kept the trash corralled as planned. Now part of the rig has broken off, and the device is being towed back to shore for repairs and design tweaks.