Current:Home > BackOcean cleanup group deploys barges to capture plastic in rivers-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Ocean cleanup group deploys barges to capture plastic in rivers
View Date:2025-01-11 07:25:23
Interceptor 007 is a not-so-secret agent of trash collection at the mouth of a Los Angeles waterway. It's one of several barges belonging to The Ocean Cleanup, a Dutch nonprofit founded by 29-year-old Boyan Slat.
"It's like a vacuum cleaner for the river," Slat said.
The Ocean Cleanup is on a mission to collect 90% of floating plastic pollution, including cleaning up the Great Pacific garbage patch, a collection of plastic debris and trash twice the size of Texas. The group is now focusing on rivers because its research shows that 80% of all plastic flowing into the ocean comes from just 1% of the world's rivers.
"So if we tackle that 1% of rivers, we think we can have a tremendous impact in a relatively short amount of time," Slat told CBS News.
He's deployed 11 trash interceptors, which can cost up to $650,000, on rivers around the world, and plans to add hundreds more. On a Guatemala river that looks more like a landfill, the device collected 2.5 million pounds of trash in just three weeks.
The 007 interceptor in Los Angeles runs on solar power and is fully autonomous until it needs to be emptied. The barge had to be emptied 15 times this past winter after trash flowed into the river during a series of powerful storms. Los Angeles County said it saw a 75% reduction in trash on nearby beaches after the interceptor arrived.
Slat said his group prevented 77 tons of trash from flowing into the ocean last winter.
"We want the interceptor to stay here as long as plastic flows through this river and would otherwise end up in the ocean," Slat said.
Meaning 007 could be on its assignment for a very long time.
Ben TracyBen Tracy is a CBS News senior national and environmental correspondent based in Los Angeles.
TwitterveryGood! (3274)
Related
- Vermont man is fit to stand trial over shooting of 3 Palestinian college students
- MacArthur 'genius' makes magical art that conjures up her Afro-Cuban roots
- ‘Tiger King’ animal trainer ‘Doc’ Antle gets suspended sentence for wildlife trafficking in Virginia
- BET Hip-Hop Awards 2023: DJ Spinderella, DaBaby, Fat Joe, Coi Leray, more walk red carpet
- Over 1.4 million Honda, Acura vehicles subject of US probe over potential engine failure
- Unless US women fall apart in world gymnastics finals (not likely), expect another title
- Padres third baseman Manny Machado has right elbow surgery
- Neighbors react after Craig Ross, Jr. charged with kidnapping 9-year-old Charlotte Sena from Moreau Lake State Park
- Pie, meet donuts: Krispy Kreme releases Thanksgiving pie flavor ahead of holidays
- Too hot to handle: iPhone 15 Pro users report overheating
Ranking
- Brian Kelly asks question we're all wondering after Alabama whips LSU, but how to answer?
- Suspect charged in rapper Tupac Shakur’s fatal shooting will appear in a court in Las Vegas
- TikTok Shop Indonesia stops to comply with the country’s ban of e-commerce on social media platforms
- 'Ahsoka' finale recap: Zombies, witches, a villainous win and a 'Star Wars' return home
- Women suing over Idaho’s abortion ban describe dangerous pregnancies, becoming ‘medical refugees’
- Conservation group Sea Shepherd to help expand protection of the endangered vaquita porpoise
- Murder suspect sought after man stabbed multiple times in 'unthinkable' attack
- Detective Pikachu Returns, Assassin's Creed Mirage, and more Fall games reviewed
Recommendation
-
Olivia Munn Randomly Drug Tests John Mulaney After Mini-Intervention
-
Jury selection resumes at fraud trial for FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried
-
FDA authorizes Novavax's updated COVID vaccine for fall 2023
-
Behind Taylor Swift, Chiefs-Jets is NFL's second-most watched game of 2023 regular season
-
Judge recuses himself in Arizona fake elector case after urging response to attacks on Kamala Harris
-
USFWS Is Creating a Frozen Library of Biodiversity to Help Endangered Species
-
Zimbabwe’s opposition boycotts president’s 1st State of the Nation speech since disputed election
-
Shares in Scandinavian Airlines plunge to become almost worthless after rescue deal announced