The oceans are becoming more and more polluted every day. Some people fail to take recycling seriously, and others just litter all over the place. From oil spills to intense amounts of garbage, our oceans are dirtier than ever. It's becoming a real problem that we need to face, and we need to do it quickly.
Fortunately, 20-year-old Boyan Slat has taken it upon himself to tackle the issue.
Slat invented a way to rid oceans of damaging plastic refuse. It sounds rather far-fetched, but when you hear more about his invention, you'll understand why his project is garnering so much support.
Slat's plan is to place enormous floating barriers in rotating tidal locations around the globe (called gyres), and let the plastic waste naturally flow into the structure. By not using traditional nets, he avoids putting wildlife at risk. Instead, he plans to employ the use of V-shaped buffers anchored by floating booms.
Slat's company, called Ocean Cleanup, states that the currents will flow underneath barriers, easily trapping garbage in its path.
This innovative mission is set to launch in 2016. The first barriers will be placed in the ocean near Japan, and plans are in place to install one in the ocean between California and Hawaii.
The barriers are approximately 6,500 feet long, and they're storm resistant. They are the longest floating structures ever placed in the ocean.
This campaign started as a crowdfunded project, and over time, it's raised $2 million. Now that the project has picked up steam, more and more people are beginning to take notice.
