Retrieving Plastic

The Great Bubble Barrier is preventing plastic waste reaching the ocean from rivers and canals. More than two-thirds of plastic in our oceans comes from rivers and canals. Preventing this plastic waste reaching the sea is essential if we are to protect marine environments and biodiversity. The Great Bubble Barrier is an innovative approach to capturing fugitive plastic in waterways, developed by a fast-growing Dutch start-up located in the north of Amsterdam. By pumping air through a perforated tube at the bottom of a waterway, it creates a screen of bubbles which blocks and diverts plastics into a catchment system, capturing plastic from the entire width and depth of the waterway without hindering ship traffic or marine life.