The Ocean Cleanup, founded by Dutch teenager, removes almost 30,000 kilos of garbage from ocean

Let’s give a swell of applause to The Ocean Cleanup who claim removing mass amounts of plastic from the sea is now possible. 👏

The non-profit was founded by Dutchman Boyan Slat when he was just 18 years old. Eight years ago he came up with the idea of catching plastic from the sea using long, floating ‘arms’.

After a series of improvements, The Ocean Cleanup reports it successfully removed 28,659 kilos of plastic from the ocean. Now that’s an achievement! 💪

It brings an end to the test phase of the project, meaning the non-profit can now move on to bigger and better implementations.

“While it’s just the tip of the iceberg, these kilograms are the most important ones we will ever collect, because they are proof that cleanup is possible,” said Slat.

Garbage patch is on notice

The infamous Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a swirling mess of ocean garbage three times the size of France, now has a target on its back.

At the same time, The Ocean Cleanup will start development on a further improved system. At three times the size, System 003 will form a blueprint for a fleet of systems to clean the ocean. The organisation expects to deploy a fleet of 10 systems that can reduce 50% of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch every five years.

Meanwhile, future plastic will be stopped from entering the ocean via rivers with the organization’s Interceptor projects. The technology is scheduled to be deployed over the coming two years.

What do you think of this non-profit’s clean-up efforts? Tell us in the comments below!

Feature Image: The Ocean Cleanup/Supplied