The Great Bubble Barrier catches plastic soup before it reaches the oceans
Amsterdam, 20 February 2018 – The IJssel river near Kampen was the first pilot location last November for a new method for collecting plastic from a river, before it reaches the North Sea. The Great Bubble Barrier uses a barrier made of air bubbles for this purpose. The results of the experiment in the IJssel, one of the fastest flowing rivers in our country, showed that The Great Bubble Barrier catches more than 80% of the test material. With this result, the pilot is considered a great success.
For the founders of The Great Bubble Barrier, Francis Zoet, Anne Marieke Eveleens and Saskia Studer, a dream comes true: tackling the plastic soup close to the source. At least 80% of the plastic in the oceans originates from land and flows directly into the ocean via the rivers, channels, and canals. The three women were looking for a way to stop plastic pollution in rivers, while maintaining free passage for shipping and fish migration, and passed it with flying colors.