After three years extracting plastic waste from the infamous Great Pacific Garbage Patchenvironmental nonprofit says it can finish the job within a decade, with a multibillion-dollar price tag.
Twice the size of Texas, the mass of about 79,000 tons of plastic floating in the Pacific Ocean between California and Hawaii is growing at an exponential rate, according to scientists.
At current levels, the cleanup would take a decade with a $7.5 billion price tag, Netherlands-based Ocean Cleanup said in a press release, announcing the group’s intention to eliminate the garbage patch entirely. However, computer models suggest that a more aggressive approach could complete the job in just five years and cost $4 billion.
The cleaning vessels deploy huge u-shaped floating barriers to capsize debris towards a focal point where it can then be loaded aboard and brought ashore.
Friday’s announcement marked the group’s first time and cost estimate of the massive cleanup project.
During their three years at sea, the Ocean Cleanup ships have removed more than one million tons of trash, which represents 0.5% of the total accumulation.
“We have shown the world that the impossible is now possible. The only thing missing is who will make sure this job gets done,” said Boyan Slat, founder and CEO of Ocean Cleanup.
(Courtesy of The Ocean Cleanup)
“We have shown the world that the impossible is now possible. The only thing missing is who will make sure this job gets done,” said Boyan Slat, founder and CEO of Ocean Cleanup.
Plastic waste costs the global economy “$2.5 trillion a year in damage to economies, industries and the environment,” the group said.
In addition to removing garbage from the landfill, Ocean Cleanup has placed garbage collectors in waste-filled outlets to the world’s oceans, including one in Marina del Rey.
That device kept about 77 tons of trash from entering the Pacific Ocean through Ballona Creek during its first rainy season last year.