A 19-year-old named Boyan Slat created the Ocean Array Plan that could remove 7,250,000 tonnes of plastic from the oceans in just five years.
His idea includes an anchored network of floating booms and dispensational platforms that could be dispatched to garbage patches around the world, reports Inhabitat.
The solution to the problematic shifting of garbage is to have the array span the radius of a garbage patch, acting as a giant funnel as the ocean moves through it.
The angle of the booms would force plastic in the direction of the platforms, where it would be separated from smaller forms like plankton, then filtered and stored for recycling.
The issue of killing life forms during the trash cleaning procedure would be eliminated by using booms instead of nets, which also cover a larger area. Because of trash’s density compared to larger sea animals, the booms allow creatures to swim under the booms unaffected.
The apparatus is also completely self-supportive, receiving energy from the sun, currents, and waves.
It is a plan that combines environmental safety with well-thought-out processes.
According to the report, Boyan Slat began by launching a project at school that analysed the size and amount of plastic particles in the ocean’s garbage patches. Boyan’s final paper won several prizes, including Best Technical Design 2012 at the Delft University of Technology.
He presented the final project several months later at TEDxDelft2012. Watch his TED presentation below:
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