In the article “Boy Genius Boyan Slant’s Giant Ocean Cleanup Machine is Real”, Schiller (2017) stated that an improvised design of the trash collecting machine would help to collect plastic trash in the Pacific.
Boyan Slat first envisioned his Ocean Cleanup machine in a TED talk and would commence hauling trash from the patch, an area where plastics are accumulated in the ocean. His machine’s design includes large booms that gather trash with the assistance of Pacific’s currents.
The booms function like an “artificial coastline” passively trapping debris into the center, which would be offloaded to a boat monthly. Large anchors which would be suspended from the booms ensures its maneuverability around the ocean.
The anchors form four sections with a total surface area of 328 square feet, reducing the boom’s speed as trash circulates within the Patch. A 0.6-mile prototype would be tested by Ocean Cleanup Foundation before deployment in 2018. The amount of debris collected is expected to accumulate up to a five-figure sum annually, which are intended to be recycled into usable items.
While the Ocean Cleanup Machine aims to clear up plastic pollution from the Patch, it fails to discuss the pollution caused by other materials and impacts it might bring to marine life.
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