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Plastic breekt langzaam af in kleinere stukjes. Die komen dan ook in de natuur en in het zeewater vissen binnenkrijgen. Die vis eten wij dan weer op en zo komt er plastic in ons lichaam en dat is heel slecht voor je.

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Op deze site lees je over hoe ze proberen om zoveel mogelijk plastic uit de oceaan te halen.

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80% of river plastic
stems from
1000 rivers

Rivers are the main source of ocean plastic pollution. They are the arteries that carry waste from land to the ocean. According to our research, 1000 rivers are responsible for roughly 80% of riverine pollution.

Illustration of river plastic

We aim to tackle plastic in 1000 rivers

To rid the oceans of plastic, we need not only to clean up what is already out there but also stop new plastic from entering the ocean - we need to close the tap. Working together with government leaders, individuals, and private corporations, our goal is to tackle these 1000 most polluting rivers all over the world.

Every single year, marine plastic costs the economy (6 to 19) billions of dollars - impacting tourism, fisheries and aquaculture, and (governmental) cleanups. And that doesn't include the impact on our health and on the marine ecosystem. Intercepting plastic in rivers is much more cost-effective than dealing with the consequences downstream.

Interceptor Solutions

No one river is the same. Factors like river width, depth, flow speed, debris composition, seasonality, and tides all have a major influence on the success of a river intervention. To tackle different types of scenarios, we have a family of technology solutions to choose from, ranging from high tech to low tech. Besides the ones listed below, we investigate the most suitable and effective ways to intercept plastic in other rivers on a case-by-case evaluation, and more solutions will be added to our portfolio.

Interceptor Original

The Interceptor Original is our first river cleanup technology. The Interceptor Original is a high-tech solution with solar-powered mechanics, smart processing, and connectivity for easy performance tracking. It is designed for series production, and in December 2020, we entered a partnership with Konecranes to begin manufacturing for more locations. Due to its autonomous and large cleaning capacity, this is the primary technology we evaluate for feasibility in any new river we plan to tackle. We currently have deployed this technology in five locations: Indonesia, Malaysia, the Dominican Republic, Vietnam, USA (California). To learn more, visit our Interceptor Original page:

Boyan Slat and Interceptor 004 in the Dominican Republic

Interceptor Barrier

The Interceptor Barrier is a solution that consists of a standalone floating barrier anchored in a U-shape around the mouth of a small river. This intercepts the trash and buffers it until it is removed from the water. The design builds on our experience from our existing Interceptor deployments. In fact, it is a variation of the barrier we use to concentrate trash toward the mouth of a standard Interceptor. The main difference is that, in this case, most of the barrier is permeable and is thereby optimized to efficiently buffer trash in the water.

Kingston Harbour, Jamaica, Barnes Gully barrier

Interceptor Tender

The Interceptor Tender was developed to work alongside our Interceptor Barriers. This small powered barge uses a conveyor belt to scoop up the trash from a barrier and offload it into a dumpster onshore. While the Interceptor Barrier is a tool to intercept trash, it's not capable of extracting and offloading on its own. This is where the Interceptor Tender comes in. This mobile extraction and offloading unit - developed in collaboration with Berky GmbH - is capable of servicing multiple barriers, and we expect to see multiple Interceptor Barrier deployments in close proximity to others. This means that the cost of extraction/offloading equipment is shared over multiple Interceptor sites.

Interceptor Barricade

The Interceptor Barricade was installed for testing in the Rio Las Vacas, Guatemala, in late May 2023 to halt the yearly tsunamis of trash that flood down the river during the rainy season. To withstand these exceptional high-pressure events, we developed a new Interceptor concept for this location. The Interceptor Barricade consists of two booms: one upstream and one downstream. The one upstream will take the majority of the pressure and the waste. This location is best suited for effective plastic extraction. The boom downstream catches any plastic missed or lost due to the pressure build-up and rapid trash accumulation in this uniquely challenging river.

Dashboard

We currently have 12 Interceptors deployed in 7 countries. Keep track of upcoming and deployed Interceptor Solutions on our dashboard.

Execute

Operators
Our local partners operate the Interceptors to extract the waste from the river and bring this on shore. They work together with responsible waste handlers to sort debris and recycle plastic where possible.

Initiate

Governments and river owners
Operators need support from (local) governments, who can provide the necessary permits to operate in rivers. Collection fees from governments and cities help safeguard continuity in waste extraction by the operators.

Accelerate

Funders and sponsors
Funders, sponsors, and investors make these river cleanups possible and accelerate the deployment of Interceptors. With your help, we can build consortia to clean rivers where it is most necessary.

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Rivers * The Interceptor * The Ocean Cleanup

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The Ocean Cleanup aims to tackle 1000 rivers to stem 80% of the river plastic pollution flow to oceans. The Interceptor technology prevents plastic from entering the world's oceans.

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Hier zie je de geschatte hoeveelheid plastic in de oceanen. Echt extreem veel dus.

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Met deze manier proberen ze het plastic dat in de oceaan zit op te ruimen.

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Dit kunstwerk is gemaakt van plastic die in de natuur is gevonden.

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Wat gebeurt er met plastic dat in de natuur terechtkomt?

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Vissen en andere dieren krijgen dit soort microplastics binnen die wij later eten, dus ons eigen plastic heeft ook invloed op onze eigen gezondheid.

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Dit kinderboek gaat over plasticsoep hierdoor leer je kinderen op een jonge leeftijd al dat plastic in de natuur gooien slecht is en dat het in in het water terecht kan komen.

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Dit jongetje wast zich in dit water, doordat er allemaal plastic in het water zit gaat het heel moeilijk je word er eerder nog viezer van dan schoner.

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Plastic soep - Kinderen voor Kinderen (songtekst)

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Deze zeehond is helemaal verstrengeld in de plastic en andere troep. Hierdoor zou het dier kunnen overlijden, dit is toch vreselijk.

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Dit is een kunstwerk over plastic soep.