An
estimated 5 trillion pieces of garbage are
floating in the ocean right now. Marine life
is severely threatened as they ingest and
sometimes get tangled in the debri. The Great Pacific garbage patch, also described as the Pacific trash vortex, is a gyre of marine debris particles in the central North Pacific Ocean,
and is estimated to be the size of texas.
Cleaning up
the garbage patch seem impossible, but not
in the eyes of a 20 year old. Boyan Slat, Founder and CEO of
The Ocean Cleanup
announced that his organization will be deploying a world first by next year –
A system that can safely remove plastic waste from oceans.
The
structure will float, snagging up ocean
garbage, and will be picked up by a conveyer
belt. At over 6561 feet, this garbage pickup
system will be the longest floating
structure in the world. The plan calls to deploy the floating structure off the coast of Japan in 2016, where it will be in operation for at least two years.
"Taking care of the world's ocean garbage problem is one of the largest environmental challenges mankind faces today. Not only will this first cleanup array contribute to cleaner waters and coasts but it simultaneously is an essential step towards our goal of cleaning up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch,” said Slat. “This deployment will enable us to study the system's efficiency and durability over time."
