Ocean contamination is a significant issue on this world.
And we’re discovering that the plastic drifting on top of the water in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is breaking down into microplastics and sinking to the bottom of the ocean, making it much more tough to tidy up.
So now what?
There are lots of business dealing with services to tidy up the ocean.
But one business, the Ocean Cleanup, has actually established a system for pulling plastic out of the ocean and is now developing items made from that recycled plastic.
Joining me today is Boyan Slat of the ocean clean-up and they have actually come cycle.
Today they’re revealing a brand-new item they have actually produced out of plastic that they have actually gathered from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
Boyan, and thanks for joining me and how you do it today.
My satisfaction, thanks for having me.
So you people are revealing a set of sunglasses that you constructed of ocean plastic.
Can you simply stroll us through that procedure?
How did you disintegrate the plastic and how are you producing these sunglasses?
Sure, so it’s been rather an obstacle actually, naturally, the most tough action was to in fact gather the plastic.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is is 2000 kilometers from coast to equipments to Chris.
Developed the innovation to a point that we gathered our very first plastic.
But we got that done in 2015.
We took the very first plastic to ports and after that we need to establish our own supply chain to turn the garbage into essentially treasure to tidy up more garbage.
Because naturally we are non earnings.
So the only reason that we do this is to assist clean up more plastic from the ocean.
And the concept is that by recycling this into lovely sustainable item, in this case sunglasses, that we want to produce a brand-new profits stream through which we can in fact money the extension of the clean-up.
So once it remained in port, naturally, we then in fact arrange the waste we needed to clean it, shred it, then recycle it into sort of brand-new brand-new base product, and ultimately with our partners we had the ability to turn this into, I believe quite great item.
So could you stroll us through the procedure?
So I’ve seen like the little containers they appear like little beads of plastic.
Yeah, so when the plastic concerns land it’s actually rather combined and it’s encrusted with salt.
The things in some cases has actually been drifting out there for years, so it’s actually rather broken down too.
The very first thing we needed to do is to separate the things that still functional from the things that’s more broken down to actually get to the pure plastic, we shred it we needed to mold it into undoubtedly those pellets.
Then we included a couple of percent of ingredients to guarantee that the product is strong enough to provide it its color back.
And that’s then we had the ability to utilize injection molding with to in fact mold into the sunglasses.
So one concern I had was, are the lenses part of that recycled plastic that you discovered too?
Cuz I was questioning like how do they do lenses?
Yeah, [INAUDIBLE] might do that, it’s actually the frame that’s made from the [UNKNOWN].
For sure it’s the frame, all right cool.
Everything that might be constructed of recycled product we did.
So from of cause the product packaging to the case.
The case is can be found in, we recycled that from product that utilized to be our very first tidy up system.
And even like the hinges of the sunglasses are made from recycled stainless-steel.
So what might be recycled we did, however naturally it’s actually the frame that’s made from the plastic we got of the ocean.
I gotta state they look quite cool.
They look actually trendy.
Do you have a set that you might design for us now.
Yes, here they are and it’s actually rather amazing to take a look at this as an actually superior feel to it.
And do you believe this was poisonous trash drifting in the middle of the ocean about a year ago?
To me rather, rather astounding actually.
They look actually cool, they’re quite incredible.
And it has the Ocean Cleanup logo design on the sides?
It does, yeah, and in fact on the within it has a QR code and if you then scanned it with your phone you can in fact see video footage of plastic being secured of the ocean that’s now in your set of sun glasses.
[LAUGH] It’s quite incredible.
So yeah.
So something I do not understand today is, just how much do they cost?
So each set is going to offer now for $199 offered through our site.
And with it we utilizing all of the profits to return to the objective with which in fact, which suggests that in fact one set relates to cleansing 24 football fields worth,
Wow,
Of Pacific Garbage Patch.
So naturally we’re refraining from doing this since we believed the world requires another lovely item, It’s actually reason that we’re doing this is since we wish to produce a method to money the clean-up bring.
It’s likewise type of like an evidence of principle to that you people had the ability to head out in the ocean, gather plastic and make something lovely out of it.
Correct?
Yeah, never ever been done prior to.
The now rather restricted in regards to the quantity of plastic that we have, the plastic was simply.
In addition, the primary function in 2015 was to check the innovation, however naturally in coming years will get ideally much bigger volume of plastic to coast and ideally will have the ability to actually scale this up too.
So do you people have systems presently running today in the Pacific trash Patch?
And so at this minute, we have actually had the interceptors in rivers in regards to the tidy plastic that’s currently in the ocean.
This year is actually about establishing the next generation innovation, so taking the lessons from what we found out in 2015 in the Patch and using them to the system that we’re releasing next year, which is gonna be system 2, we can capture plastic.
But now it has to do with scaling it to the size that can in fact clean up the tidy the Patch.
Yeah, so ideally next year will will be releasing that in the bench.
So the number of interceptors do you people have actually released today around the globe.
But 3 interceptions in the water?
Right now one remains in Jakarta.
When remains in Malaysia and as soon as Indonesia and Yahoo to begin presenting lot more.
Beginning of next year.
So in a couple of months from now.
So we’re now getting ready for series production and will ideally see a lot more of it.
Interceptions in reversing around the globe.
How much trash are they taking out of the River daily?
Do you people have figures on that?
Yeah, so naturally we’re still in the type of the debugging stage to actually get the up time that we as soon as this year in fact rather tough with covid.
When naturally, if you can’t clear them since the nations in lockdown ’cause you’re not going to have the choice that you desire.
And likewise when flying extra parts, all of that was actually postponed this year, however.
Yeah, theoretical capability is approximately 5050 cubic meters per individual, and if the record catch that we had now was complete system to 30 cubic meters in 4 half hours, so it’s okay.
But naturally once again, I believe we actually require to deal with getting the uptime and dependability where we wished to be.
I believe there are some stressing patterns because.
Yes, naturally.
The thing is, plastic has actually increased greatly this year.
The oil cost is very low today too, which suggests that it’s far more appealing to make brand-new plastic instead of recycle existing plastic.
So I do believe those are patterns that you can anticipate to see back in the quantity of plastic going to the ocean.
So yeah, it’s absolutely sufficient work to do still.
So do you people have any other items in advancement now that you’re attempting to produce with the recycled plastic?
But I believe will do will do a couple of more for sure.
It’s we’re simply beginning with sunglasses since I believe it’s.
It makes good sense.
It’s something resilient, so does not wind up back in the ocean, and it’s likewise something you bring around.
And naturally they were completely meant on word of mouth to raise awareness about what we do, so that states that they sunglasses makes good sense.
We had actually gotten significant quantity of excellent recommendations, I believe, from previous advocates of what else we might produce this.
And yeah, so we’re absolutely considering doing more than simply sunglasses, however we’re beginning with one and after that see just how much interest there remains in really getting included with this cool.
When will the sunglasses go on sale?
An working individuals purchase them?
So the clip sunglasses are offered today through our sites theoceancleanup.com.
And once again, every set needs to have the ability to enable us to tidy 24 football fields worth of groups of the trash can.
It’s remarkable.
Cool, well, thank you a lot for your time Boyan.
Good luck today on your huge reveal.
I’m thrilled to enjoy it.
Thank you if you advise ill, you desire one too rapidly since I believe anticipate that.
Of course we can just make 25.
Gave them now since of the quantity of screening we have, I believe the next plastic will be become sunglasses towards completion of next year.
So we wish to acquire them.
I advise registering rapidly.
[MUSIC]
