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Catch plastic litter before it reaches the ocean
Summary
This article describes the LIFE SouPLess project, which is developing technology to intercept plastic litter in rivers before it reaches the ocean. Rivers are one of the primary pathways through which land-based plastic waste enters the sea. River-based plastic interception technologies are a promising strategy for reducing the ongoing accumulation of marine microplastics.
Catch plastic litter before it reaches the ocean Increased global production and poor waste management have led to a build-up of plastic litter in the world’s oceans. This has devastating effects on ecosystems and marine life. The flow of plastics into the oceans occurs through a variety of pathways, but rivers are one of the largest contributors. The LIFE SouPLess project aims to develop technology to catch plastics from rivers before they spread to the seas and oceans. It is a 4.5 years project (July 2018 – December 2022). Three main links of the chain of riverine plastic recovery will be tackled: from locating plastic hotspots with a dedicated numerical model to effectively collecting the plastics with systems and finding sustainable and cost-effective solutions for post-processing the collected litter.