“Plastic pollution in the open sea is a growing concern…

Research shows that up to 80% of this plastic is carried out to sea via rivers, mainly due to the mismanagement of waste on land.

But a growing number of innovators, like Grønneberg, are trying to stop this flow.

The Azure system is a boom device that stretches across the river to stop objects floating on the surface. It extends down 60cm (2ft) into the water, allowing fish and other organisms to move freely below, and is placed at an angle allowing the natural water flow to direct all debris into one corner of the riverbank.

A manual operator in the water then guides the debris onto a mobile conveyor belt that dumps the plastic into a large container on shore, where it is sorted for recycling and trash destined for landfill.

But Ichthion doesn’t only pick up debris in the river, it also tries to stop it from arriving there in the first place by documenting and generating data about what is collected. This way they can better identify the source of the garbage, whether it be mounds of industrial waste from factories, or bags of household trash that indicates a problem with the municipal garbage system. The data allows them to work with municipalities, businesses and communities to stop the problem.”

From BBC.