The Ocean Cleanup: The System 03

Madison Kranz|October 11, 2022

The Ocean Cleanup is a non-profit organisation based in the Netherlands that aims to clear 90% of plastic waste that is littering the ocean. At the moment, there are over 5 trillion pieces of plastic floating in the sea and most of this can be found in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch which is located between California and Hawaii. The organisation has already been successful in removing 100 000 kilograms of plastic from the ocean and with the help of the System 03, they will be able to move one step closer to their ambitious environmental goals.

The System 03 is The Ocean Cleanup’s newest invention and is currently in production. The launch of this system is expected to start as early as 2023. Through the use of ten of these systems, the organisation believes that they will be able to clean up the entire Great Pacific Garbage Patch which contains 100 000 000 kilograms of plastic. Each System 03 will be able to hold up to 25 000 kilograms of plastic and will be over 2 kilometres long. The systems will also be equipped with large nets that will go 4 metres below the surface of the water. The size of these nets will allow marine life to swim safely beneath them whilst still being able to catch plastic effectively.

Previously, The Ocean Cleanup made use of the System 002 which allowed them to make a significant contribution to the clearing of plastic in the ocean. The new system will be ten times as efficient as the one before it and this will allow the organisation to make an even bigger impact on the cleanliness of the ocean than they already have. The System 03 is also much larger than it’s predecessor which makes The Ocean Cleanup’s mission far more economical and ensures that they will be able to continue investing in new research and technology for the future of our ocean.