It’s estimated that more than 8 million tons of plastic and trash are dumped into the ocean every single year. On top of that, countless gallons of oil, detergent, and debris also add to the startling garbage toll.
To try and combat this growing problem, Andrew Turton and Pete Ceglinski, two Australian surfers have quit their jobs and come up with a brilliant solution–the Seabin.
After many years working on the idea, Turton and Ceglinski have completed the first prototypes. Each Seabin is made of recycled materials and attached to a dock with a running water pump. The pump works as a filter; it sucks in water and filters out debris, oil and other contaminants into a natural fiber bag. The filtered water is then pumped back out into the ocean, pollutant-free.
“It essentially works as a similar concept to a skimmer box from your pool filter. But it’s designed on a scale to work and essentially attract all that rubbish within a location within a marine harbour,” Seabin spokesman Richard Talmage said.
Even better? Turton and Ceglinski have confirmed that they have never caught a fish or other aquatic wildlife in any of their tests so far.
As it states on their indegogo fundraising page, the Seabin works because it can run 24/7, it’s effective, it’s low cost, low-maintenance, and most importantly, it’s here now.
If you’d like to contribute to the Seabin project, you can give donations here.
