TRASH COLLECTOR INTERCEPTORS ARE CLEANING UP POLLUTED RIVERS BEFORE THEY REACH THE OCEAN

The next generation of trash interceptor is currently in development, and will be operational by the end of 2021. The plan is to clean up plastic from rivers before they reach the ocean.

The first generation of trash interceptor was unveiled in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, in 2019 by its founder and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup, Boyan Slat.

The Interceptors use the rivers current to funnel plastic onto the onboard conveyer belt which is then fed into large waste bins. This serves to be highly useful, as most of the oceans plastic pollution comes from rivers, and cleaning up rivers before it reaches the ocean is far easier to accomplish. What's even more impressive is that the trash collector interceptors are completely autonomous, and run on 100% sustainable energy from their massive solar panels located on the roof of each interceptor.

The amount of trash collected by each interceptor is digitally monitored, and will notify the cleaning crew when it's near full. The crew will then empty its load around once per day. The third generation interceptor is far more efficient and automated than its predecessors. The engineers found that its massive 2.5-metre wide conveyer belt in the front is able to collect far more trash per hour, and is significantly less prone to getting jammed from picking up large pieces of trash. In comparison, the previous generation only had a 1.5-metre wide belt.

Take a look at the video below by the YouTube channel, CNET, on the New River Trash Interceptors Are Stopping Plastic From Reaching The Ocean.