Photo credit: The Ocean Cleanup
Earlier this year, global non-profit organization The Ocean Cleanup introduced an innovative river cleaning technology called Interceptor Original to one of Bangkok's most polluted rivers.
Since 2013, the nonprofit has been on a mission to clean up the plastic pollution clogging the world's oceans and rivers, and has developed a suite of technology solutions to accomplish this mission.
The plastic interceptors were launched in 2019 and have removed more than 3 million kilograms (more than 6.6 million pounds) of trash from rivers around the world, according to the company's website.
These plastic-munching heroes have been deployed in six locations around the world – Indonesia, Malaysia, the Dominican Republic, Vietnam, the US and Thailand, with Thailand being the latest to be deployed.
Phys.org reports that The Ocean Cleanup has installed a deterrent device on Bangkok's Chao Phraya River, marking the nonprofit's fifth plastic pollution cleanup project in Southeast Asia.
The Interceptor is a barge-like machine that runs entirely on solar power and uses a floating barrier to funnel plastic onto a catamaran's conveyor belt. The plastic waste is sent to one of six large trash bins inside the shuttle. When the bins are full, they're hauled ashore and emptied into garbage trucks for disposal by a local waste management company.
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Sensors installed on the interceptors alert local crews when the bins are almost full, letting them know exactly when to collect the trash. The technology works 24/7, allowing them to remove trash from the river even while the bins are being emptied.
The Interceptor is autonomous and can accommodate up to 50 cubic meters (over 13,200 gallons) of waste, making it an ideal solution for removing rampant plastic waste and restoring river ecosystems for both humanity and the planet.
“The Gulf of Thailand is of course very important ecologically, but also economically for tourism and fishing, so tackling plastic pollution here is very important to us,” The Ocean Cleanup's CEO Boyan Surat told AFP.
The nonprofit group says the majority of marine plastic pollution comes from rivers, so the goal is to stop waste at the source before it gets into the ocean in the first place. Ocean Cleanup's research shows that 1,000 rivers account for about 80% of all river pollution.
To prevent as much plastic as possible from ending up in the ocean, the nonprofit has set itself the ambitious goal of working with governments and companies around the world to remove plastic waste from all these rivers.
With a commitment to eliminate 90% of floating ocean plastic pollution by 2040, The Ocean Cleanup is solving a global problem, removing one plastic piece at a time.
“We are pleased to kick off this multi-year collaborative project to clean up the Chao Phraya River and prevent tons of plastic from entering the Gulf of Thailand. Along with cleaning up marine debris clumps, capture in the river is key to removing plastic from the ocean. Interceptor 019 in Thailand is the next step towards that goal,” the nonprofit said in a project update.
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