Signal 4: Plastic Free Rivers
Let’s talk about waste. Specifically the amount of waste and plastic that ends up in the open water where it can damage marine and human life.
8 billion kilos of plastic pollute our seas each year, and 75% through canals and rivers.
This problem have been long recognized by the general public and there have been attempts and innovations to reduce waste in rivers, all of which involves blocking ship traffic or hindering marine life.
A promising new innovation surfaced about a year ago called The Great Bubble Barrier, developed by three dutch women, Francis Zoet, Anne Marieke Eveleens and Saskia Studer. A simple idea of placing a tube with holes at the bottom of the river, pumping air which creates a ‘bubble barrier’, are used to gather plastic before it reaches the oceans. By strategically placing the barrier diagonally in the river, the natural current directs the waste to the side of the river.
Since it does not require any changes in infrastructure or policy, this idea is also very much convenient to implement in both the largest rivers and smaller canals and channels. The systems can continuously filter floating material between 5mm and 1m and material that is positioned under water. This means that the Great Bubble Barrier seem to be the most effective and efficient solution to plastic free rivers.
Source: https://thegreatbubblebarrier.com/en/bubble-barrier-en/
