Don’t let the photos of pristine beaches and crystal clear waters fool you. The sad reality is that our oceans are very much polluted with trash that people seem to think it’s okay to just dump in the water, and also oil from oil spills, leaks, and so on. There have been efforts to try and clean the ocean but they tend to be pretty slow, but two Australian surfers might have come up with a rather ingenious way of doing so.
Dubbed the Seabin, this is basically a bin that sits in the water and can be installed on floating docks. The idea is that it will help to collect trash or oil floating on the water in nearby harbors. However it works is similar to how a filtration system in a fish tank works. There is a built-in water pump that will suck in nearby floating trash that goes into a removable mesh bag while pumping back the water into the ocean, thus removing debris.
At the same time there is an option to install a oil-water separator system. This will help remove oil and detergents from the seawater while pumping back clean water. So what about oceanlife? Won’t they get sucked into the seabin? According to its creators, they have never trapped oceanlife in the four years that they spent testing their invention.
If this sounds like an interesting idea that you’ll want to help make a reality, then head on over to its Indiegogo page to pledge your support.