Dutch non-profit The Ocean Cleanup has announced a major success in its mission to rid the world’s oceans of plastic, confirming that its latest-generation floating cleanup system is effectively and consistently removing massive amounts of plastic debris from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP).
The system, a significant evolution from earlier prototypes, is a massive 600-meter-long (nearly 2,000-foot) U-shaped barrier. It has been strategically deployed in the GPGP—the world’s largest accumulation zone of ocean plastic—where it utilizes the ocean’s natural currents and a relative speed difference to collect and concentrate the vast layers of floating waste.
Engineers confirmed the successful removal of hundreds of tons of plastic using the actively propelled system. The captured material, which includes everything from massive discarded fishing nets (known as “ghost nets,” which make up the bulk of the mass) to tiny microplastics, is then extracted onto support vessels and transported to shore for recycling.
“Our technology is no longer a concept; it is a proven tool that is making a real difference in the GPGP,” said a spokesperson for The Ocean Cleanup. “The current system is demonstrating its ability to capture plastic debris across the full size spectrum, which is critical for preventing larger items from breaking down into ever-smaller microplastics.”
The success validates years of engineering and iteration, which saw the project move from passive anchors to a massive, actively-steered system (codenamed System 002 and its subsequent operational variant, System 03) that can navigate to high-density plastic “hotspots” within the patch.
The organization, founded by inventor Boyan Slat, maintains its goal of removing 90% of floating ocean plastic by 2040 by deploying an entire fleet of similar cleanup systems. This milestone marks a significant step toward making that ambitious goal achievable, complementing the organization’s river cleanup technology, the Interceptor, which works to stop plastic from reaching the oceans in the first place.
