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The Ocean Cleanup

theoceancleanup.com

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Re: The Ocean Cleanup

#11

Post by Throwaway0812 »

valinor4 wrote: post #2

This idea is already very criticized. French article about it: http://rue89.nouvelobs.com/2014/06/19/boyan-slat-machine-a-n...

I didn't see many good counterpoints in the article.

1. They argue the majority of the waste is small particles, and they refer to it as a 'plastic soup'. Are these particles not just larger plastic debris that has decomposed? Wouldn't keeping up with the larger debris help prevent the 'plastic soup' in the first place?

2. Second point, they say the project is too big of a challenge but believe it might work on a smaller scale. I don't think this is a situation where you should think small.

3. Thirdly, they say this will be in the way for boats, and wildlife. The site addresses most of the wildlife concerns because there's nothing to capture wildlife, and it's basically a floating wall. The wildlife can swim under it, or away from it. I'm sure some jellyfish would be floating into it, but it seems like a big improvement over nets. Also, it says their large scale operational test will be 10km wide. That's not exactly disrupting the shipping lanes in the middle of the ocean.

4. Their last points are awful. They say the plastic waste can't be recycled, so it's worthless to pick up, and they close with saying 'cleaning the oceans will never be a solution', and we should instead just reduce the use of plastic.

In short, I have no idea if this thing will work, but watching the videos, it seems like a decent solution that's worth exploring. They seem motivated, and a couple of million dollars isn't much to invest on such a project and team.

Re: The Ocean Cleanup

#12

Post by nothiggs »

I don't know enough about the subject to have the pretence to judge whether it can work, what I do know is that: 1. It seems the naysayers are doing nothing to try and change the situation, but then again, history books aren't populated with names of critics... 2. A partial solution is better than no solution. It doesn't solve the problem of microscopic plastic parts ? So what ? It also doesn't solve world hunger and global warming, but having more people with the attitude and vision of this young entrepreneur just might.

Re: The Ocean Cleanup

#13

Post by leorocky »

valinor4 wrote: post #2

This idea is already very criticized. French article about it: http://rue89.nouvelobs.com/2014/06/19/boyan-slat-machine-a-n...

There's a lengthy, point by point response to criticism on this page:

http://www.theoceancleanup.com/blog/show/item/responding-to-...

I am not qualified to judge the merits of the criticism or the response, I'm just kind of happy someone is at least trying to do something about trash in the ocean.

Re: The Ocean Cleanup

#14

Post by hershel »

Great project. I do wonder , why are 100 people involved ? is it very complicated ? or just the fact they volunteer so they can't give their 100% attention to this?

Re: The Ocean Cleanup

#15

Post by Panoramix »

wbhart wrote: post #10

I'm skeptical. Most of the plastics in his/her photos are visible. In the actual gyres, most plastics are microplastics, i.e. particles from cosmetics and clothes washing that have gone down the drain. There's a pinkie fingernail sized piece every couple of cubic metres or so. Definitely not visible. They also harbour life. How to remove the life and give it somewhere to live without upsetting the ecosystem?

Do you have a reference for the main sources of microplastics? My understanding is that they are the result of larger chunks of plastic that just decompose in the oceans. By removing large plastic items we'd make a strong leap forward.

Re: The Ocean Cleanup

#16

Post by aw3c2 »

dueprocess wrote: post #7
wfunction wrote: post #4

If they could only make the email address optional, then I'd consider... there really is no good reason whatsoever to require an email address here for someone who isn't asking for a reward.

Sorry, I upvoted you by accident. Can you clarify why requiring an email address is a showstopper for you?

Privacy.

Re: The Ocean Cleanup

#17

Post by userbinator »

Since the majority of plastics are produced from petroleum, I wonder when it may become viable to mine the plastics that have ended up in landfill and the oceans - most of them are thermoplastics like polyethylene, which can be easily remelted and recycled.

Re: The Ocean Cleanup

#19

Post by Yardlink »

leorocky wrote: post #13
valinor4 wrote: post #2

This idea is already very criticized. French article about it: http://rue89.nouvelobs.com/2014/06/19/boyan-slat-machine-a-n...

There's a lengthy, point by point response to criticism on this page: http://www.theoceancleanup.com/blog/show/item/responding-to-... I am not qualified to judge the merits of the criticism or the response, I'm just kind of happy someone is at least trying to do something about trash in the ocean.

I didn't see mentioned. Why do it? It might save some species? That needs to be something they're sure of and sure they can't be saved more cheaply other ways.

Re: The Ocean Cleanup

#20

Post by Luyt »

There's a skeptoid episode about the Pacific Garbage Patch: http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4132

"In 1988, Robert Day, David Shaw, and Steven Ignell submitted a report to NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) detailing the results of four years of sample collection and analysis of plastic fragments found floating in the Pacific Ocean. They found concentrations highest in the North Pacific Gyre. The authors cited wind and currents as the primary force driving the higher concentrations to the center of the Gyre. Concentrations of what? Number one, monofilament fishing line fragments; and number two, something called neuston plastic. Neuston plastic refers to particles that have been broken down to a small size and are now floating just at or below the surface of the water. Most plastic floating in the open ocean degrades quite quickly, due primarily to ultraviolet radiation. It becomes brittle and crumbles. When it reaches microscopic size, it competes with phytoplankton as a food source for zooplankton, and enters the food chain. That's not good for anyone. The authors used 203 sample stations, each about 450 square meters in size. 52.2% of these contained plastic fragments.

Got that? Only half of NOAA's football-field sized sample areas, in the center of the densest part of the Pacific "Garbage Patch", contain even detectable levels of microscopic plastic. Unacceptable to be sure; but hardly a solid island."

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