River Revolution: Removing Plastic at the Source

The international non-profit, Ocean Cleanup, has just announced that it will expand to 30 major rivers, intercepting and removing ocean-bound plastic pollution.

“Our analysis shows that strategically deploying Interceptors across just 30 carefully chosen cities can stop up to a third of river pollution worldwide. This is the next big leap toward our ultimate goal of a 90 percent reduction in global ocean plastic pollution,” says Boyan Slat, Founder and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup.

In recent years, Ocean Cleanup has already deployed various plastic removal river programs, intercepting 29 million kilograms of trash from reaching the ocean. The new comprehensive urban approach initiative will be launched in 30 major cities around the globe with the mission of cutting one-third of river-based ocean plastic by 2030. Some of the projected cities include Panama City, Panama; Mumbai, India; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Bangkok, Thailand; and Los Angeles, United States. Drones and artificial intelligence are helping the non-profit pinpoint the most optimal location for a plastic Interceptor placement. Although it is just the beginning, Ocean Cleanup is hopeful that its mission to cut one-third of all ocean-bound plastic pollution by 2030 will be achieved.