Have they managed to srop the source of the plastic though? It'll be a sisiphean task until they do
this post was submitted on 30 Aug 2023
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Thank you for saying this. I was thinking it.
They have installed trash collectors in some rivers as well: https://theoceancleanup.com/rivers/interceptor-original/ This is at least a bit closer to the source.
The issue will realistically not be fully solved unless the majority of our plastics are switched to biodegradable materials instead.
Absolutely they should do that and clean up the ocean... But where does the plastic go from there? Landfills? Recycling (which is significantly harder to do with plastic as opposed to glass/aluminum)?
At a minimum, sticking it in a landfill is fine, as it will no longer be mixed in with the ocean, being ingested by sea creatures.
They say on their website the plan is to recycle it. Obviously the long term plan has to involve switching to biodegradable plastics, and alternatives to plastics.
Rocketship to the sun.