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Modelling the cleanup of the North Pacific Garbage Patch based on 3 years of operational experience
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Researchers modeled a 10-year ocean plastic cleanup effort in the North Pacific Garbage Patch using data from 72 actual collection operations that removed over 372 metric tons between 2021 and 2024, projecting that an optimized fleet of U-shaped net systems could eliminate more than 80% of surface plastics larger than 1.5 cm at a cost of approximately €1.8 billion.
Ending plastic pollution in the marine environment requires reducing the sources, preventing the plastics from entering the ocean, and removing the persistent legacy pollution accumulated in areas such as the North Pacific Garbage Patch (NPGP). This study assesses the feasibility and costs of collecting plastics accumulated in the NPGP during a 10 year-period, starting in 2027. The cleanup method consists of a fleet of U-shaped net systems towed behind two vessels funneling the plastic towards a retention zone which is periodically emptied. The background plastic mass concentration at the surface is based on a dispersal model calibrated on the results of field operations, and specifically on measurements performed during 72 collection periods which, between August 2021 and November 2024, led to the removal of a cumulated mass of 372,733 kg of plastics. The study evaluates the impact of the number of cleanup systems, the growth of the mass of plastics in the NPGP, the system’s retention efficiency, and how the systems are steered through the NPGP. Cost estimates are derived from vessel types, market rates, and past operational expenses. Results indicate that, after a decade, more than 80% of the total mass of plastics (> 1.5 cm) of the NPGP baseline can be eliminated, with up to 180 kt of plastics removed from an area covering an average of 1.6 M km2. This target could be reached at a cost of €1.8 billion in an optimal scenario, representing a negligible fraction (< 1%) of the value of the ecosystem services threatened by plastic pollution in this oceanic region for the next century.
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Researchers conducted a lifecycle assessment to evaluate the net environmental impact of removing legacy plastic pollution from the North Pacific Garbage Patch, weighing the ecological harm reduction from plastic removal against the environmental costs of cleanup operations including fuel consumption and bycatch. The study found that ocean plastic cleanup can deliver a net environmental benefit when operations are optimised, but that the balance depends critically on vessel efficiency, cleanup technology, and the degradation state of targeted plastics.
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Researchers developed a novel plastic pollution impact assessment framework and applied it to evaluate whether cleanup operations targeting the North Pacific Garbage Patch could deliver a net environmental benefit, finding that removing legacy plastic pollution from the subtropical gyre may benefit marine life and carbon cycling when assessed against the environmental costs of the cleanup itself.
Evaluating the net environmental impact of removing plastic pollution from the North Pacific Garbage Patch
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Researchers developed a novel plastic pollution impact assessment framework and applied it to evaluate whether cleanup of legacy plastic accumulated in the North Pacific Garbage Patch (NPGP) by The Ocean Cleanup could produce a net environmental benefit to marine ecosystems and carbon cycling. Findings suggested that cleanup operations targeting the NPGP can yield a positive net environmental outcome when assessed across the full plastic life cycle.
How much innovation is needed to protect the ocean from plastic contamination?
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Researchers used a system dynamics model to simulate ocean plastic cleanup scenarios, finding that reducing ocean plastic debris 25% below 2010 levels by 2030 would require removing 135 million tons at a cost of up to €708 billion — far exceeding any single cleanup project — and that technological solutions alone cannot solve the problem without complementary policy interventions.
Evaluating the environmental impact of cleaning the North Pacific Garbage Patch
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.