The Ocean Cleanup, a nonprofit founded by Dutch inventor Boyan Slat, removed nearly 20,000 pounds of plastic from the Pacific Ocean last week using a floating barrier system called Jenny. The device was deployed in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in August and underwent a final test before the successful haul.
Jenny consists of a 330-foot-long floating barrier of funnel-shaped nets. Two vessels tow the system through the water at 1.5 knots while ocean currents push plastic into the nets. The collected plastic is then brought to shore, where it is currently recycled into $200 sunglasses. Proceeds from those sales help fund additional cleanup projects.
Slat estimates that 10 Jenny systems could clean up to 50 percent of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch within five years. The organization's broader goal is to remove 90 percent of floating ocean plastic by 2040, according to Insider.
Expert Doubts and System Limitations
Not all experts share Slat's optimism. The Jenny system only collects surface-level plastics, while a study published in Marine Conservation and Sustainability suggests there could be as much as 30 times more plastic at the bottom of the ocean. Additionally, the vessels used to tow the device are powered by fossil fuels, raising questions about the overall environmental benefit.
Slat remains undeterred and optimistic that his system will ultimately succeed in cleaning up ocean plastic waste. The Ocean Cleanup continues to develop and test its technology, though the long-term effectiveness of surface-level collection in addressing the full scope of ocean pollution remains an open question.
Editorial Notes