PR Return’s Offbeat Sheet examines some of the world’s most interesting technology, marketing and innovation stories. Often pushed quickly through the news cycle, we think they deserve more time in the spotlight.
By reducing pollution in rivers that bleed into the ocean, both river and ocean ecosystems will benefit. The Ocean Cleanup has created the Interceptor to work at eliminating waste in the world’s most polluted rivers. Its goal is to tackle 1,000 of those rivers in five years. Its cutting edge technology works with the flow of the river to pull in plastics.
Not only does Ocean Cleanup want to collect plastic in rivers; it wants to recycle the material. Operators send what is collected to local waste management facilities so they can properly sort, recycle and dispose of the collected material.
The Interceptor has been made scalable for mass production. Its design suits almost any river environment. Since the debris is collected with the natural current of the river, it is energy neutral. All the technology is solar powered, and connected to the internet. Internet connectivity allows the Interceptors to report their progress and maintenance needs to the Ocean Cleanup and to signal local operators when the dumpsters are nearly full.
According to The Ocean Cleanup website:
“We see ourselves as the architects for river projects to stop the inflow of plastic into the oceans. The Ocean Cleanup brings in the knowledge (where and how to intercept riverine plastic), provides solutions (e.g. the Interceptor), and uses its network to raise awareness and help attract funding and financing.”
The Interceptor is excitingly set to ‘close the tap’ on pollution entering the ocean by working in the rivers that contribute to 80 percent of global annual riverine plastic emissions.
Thanks to The Ocean Cleanup’s efforts with The Interceptor, we expect ongoing reductions in ocean waste and all the associated improvements to human health and the marine ecosystem!