Category: Kingston Harbour, Jamaica

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Cleaning Up Kingston Harbour

The Kingston Harbour Cleanup Project headquarters in Kingston Harbour, Jamaica.

The initial trial phase of The Ocean Cleanup’s operation in Kingston Harbour is complete, and the second phase has begun with new Interceptor deployments across the city.

The impact of our early deployments has been significant, with over 130,000 kilograms (over 285,000 lbs) of trash removed from Kington’s gullies. From the initial three Interceptors, there are now five operating throughout Kingston, with the intention of expanding to seven by the end of 2023.

The Ocean Cleanup teamed up with Clean Harbours of Jamaica and the GraceKennedy Foundation in 2021 with the aim of reducing the pollution devastating the gullies and waterways for local residents and leaking plastic waste into the Caribbean Sea – contributing to the plastic pollution crisis in our oceans. The project aims to capture trash in eleven gullies around the city, beginning with the deployment of Interceptors 008, 009 and 010 to capture waste in three trial locations: Rae Town Gully, Kingston Pen Gully, and Barnes Gully.

The first Interceptor Barrier™ is installed at the mouth of Rae Town Gully in Kingston Harbour, Jamaica.

These deployments have been a learning process for everyone involved, and we’ve analyzed our results while engaging with Kingston authorities and the local community to assess our impact and ensure that the benefits of our anti-pollution efforts are shared by everyone.

Shoemaker Gully, like the other gullies leading to Kingston Harbour, presents its own set of unique environmental and social challenges.

LEARNINGS

Following the success of our first three Interceptor deployments, there are several key learnings we have taken forward.

First, we must identify ways to optimize the Interceptor Barrier and Interceptor Tender to improve the capacity and efficiency of our debris harvesting. Waves formed in the wake of passing vessels can disrupt the functioning of the Interceptor Barrier, and the blustery winds around Kingston Harbour mean the captured waste often gathers far from the shore, making extraction more difficult and time-consuming than predicted. To address this latter problem we are currently developing ‘non-return barriers’ and we are expanding our extraction and offloading capacity by adding a support vessel to supplement the Interceptor Tender.

Our operational partners Clean Harbours of Jamaica are also continuing to examine other operational ways to make waste extraction and management more efficient.

The Interceptor Tender™ allows local crews to extract the plastic at the barriers by sea.

Second, we are now looking for new solutions to capture trash in the next three gullies on our list, where our current Interceptors may not be suitable. Coastal waters are difficult for the Interceptor Tender to access, while shallow waters present a challenge for the Interceptor Barrier, so we are looking to develop new solutions (potentially in collaboration with third party technology providers) to ensure our Interceptors are fit to tackle trash throughout the rest of Kingston Harbour. Other design learnings have already been implemented – for example removing a semi-permeable screen on the Interceptor Barrier which was susceptible to excess marine growth.

We have already introduced the latest addition to the Interceptor family, the Interceptor Guard – our newest technological solution designed to better withstand the environmental conditions of the harbour.

The first Interceptor Guard is installed in Kingston Harbour, Jamaica.

Thirdly, we have learned more about the composition of the trash in Kingston’s waterways: what this trash is, and where it comes from. A significant amount is plastic, often from consumer products and single-use items. Understanding the nature of this problem is essential to solving it, and the data gathered through our extensive river monitoring and the thorough sorting process conducted at the offloading site are essential in evaluating the effectiveness of other anti-pollution measures further upstream: if we start to notice that there is less trash than there used to be flowing into the gullies, we will know that fundamental change is occurring in Kingston. 

While we have seen that waste levels fluctuate with water levels according to the wet and dry seasons in Jamaica (information we can use to predict periods of high quantities of waste and increase capacity accordingly), our project has demonstrated the scale of the pollution problem in these gullies all year round, and the huge benefits that can come from tackling it.

The Ocean Cleanup team assesses the volume and composition of trash in Kingston’s gullies.

A final takeaway is the strength of support we have received from Kingston’s residents and authorities during our operations. A priority throughout this project has been community engagement, which has been fostered through frequent school visits to the offloading site, where all the captured waste from all the Interceptors is brought for sorting and processing.

The offloading site itself is another example of how this collaboration is extending out of the water and onto the shore. Formerly an abandoned dumping ground, the site now operates as both a place of work and education, featuring offices, murals, and even a conference room as well as the required trash sorting equipment and personnel. Now the site is safe and operational, it is frequently visited by touring schoolchildren from across Jamaica – spreading awareness of plastic pollution, giving insights into possible actions and solutions, and allowing these young people to take this information home with them and act as drivers of change.

The Kingston Harbour Cleanup Project headquarters in Kingston Harbour, Jamaica.

The employees at this site, too, share in the benefits of this project. Full safety certification and training is available, while all workers – many from lower socio-economic backgrounds – are supported in attempting to gain qualifications and training while in work. One example saw employees trained to better recognize and categorize plastic during sorting. As well as enhancing the performance and abilities of the staff, this also had the effect of making our sorting more efficient; a full-circle benefit, with local people at the center.

The project crew discusses the next phase of the Kingston Harbour Cleanup Project.

SCALING UP: INTERCEPTOR CITY

With five Interceptors deployed and two more scheduled for this year, our project to transform Kingston Harbour continues. The Ocean Cleanup, GraceKennedy Foundation, and Clean Harbours of Jamaica are committed to tackling plastic pollution in Jamaica, and we are optimistic about the next phase.

The next deployment will be in Mountain View Gully and will feature a new concept combining components of various systems to form a new Interceptor. After this, we will continue to expand to other gullies, with a special focus on possibly the most challenging of all: Sandy Gully, which will require a more specialized approach. All this while continuing to build and maintain relationships with local residents, fishing communities, businesses, school and officials, aiming to keep us all pulling in the same direction as we work together to transform Kingston Harbour.

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1,000,000 Kilograms

Plastic washes over a resting sea turtle. Every year, 8 to 12 million metric tons of plastic enters our oceans.

The Clean Currents Coalition has achieved a major milestone in the effort to turn off the tap of plastic pollution. Together, the Coalition has captured and removed over 1,000,000 kilograms of plastic waste from rivers worldwide – much of which would otherwise have found its way to the ocean.

In Panama City, Panama, CCC member Marea Verde celebrates reaching the 1,000,000 kilogram milestone at their trash wheel, Wanda Díaz.
Water hyacinth clogs the Citarum River in Indonesia, a challenge for the Citarum Repair team and many others in the CCC.

After three years of research, testing, and scaling up innovative solutions, reaching the 1,000,000-kilogram mark is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the Coalition teams. Along the way, they encountered and overcame many challenges – from a global pandemic to technology adjustments to water hyacinth – to show that we can take action and make an impact in our local communities struggling in the face of the growing wave of plastic pollution.

Removing 1,000,000 kilograms of plastic waste from rivers and preventing it from reaching the ocean is a feat to be celebrated in and of itself, but the Clean Currents Coalition is doing so much more than just capturing plastic. To solve the plastic pollution problem, we have to tackle the issue on multiple fronts with a focus on upstream solutions. The ultimate goal of the Coalition is not just to divert plastic from the ocean, but for there to not be plastic to be removed from the environment in the first place.

In Nairobi, Kenya, CCC member Chemolex works with local community groups to transform riverside dumpsites into green spaces. Here, the footpath is made from paving bricks manufactured by Chemolex from the plastic they remove from rivers.

How is the Clean Currents Coalition achieving this? Every Coalition team is collecting data on the plastic they remove so it can be used to inform better public policy and learn where to target behavior change campaigns. Coalition teams are developing innovative technology solutions to make data collection more efficient and accurate. They are inventing creative ways to use the collected plastic to benefit the local community and create sustained income to further grow their projects. They are leading education campaigns to raise awareness around the dangers of plastic pollution and empowering local communities to take part in the protection of their environment.

In Tijuana, Mexico, CCC member WILDCOAST used the tires they collected from Los Laureles Canyon to build a community park and soccer field for the local residents.

As a Coalition, we are proud to have reached the 1,000,000-kilogram milestone. But our work is only just beginning. There is much more plastic to capture, and systemic change is needed across all phases of the plastic lifecycle.

Waste accumulates in the Lat Phrao Canal, Bangkok, Thailand, where CCC member TerraCycle Global Foundation is trapping plastic before it reaches the ocean.

Every four hours, another 1,000,000 kilograms of plastic enters the ocean – the same as emptying 240 dump trucks into the water. Humankind has made 11 trillion kilograms of plastic since 1950. That’s equivalent to the weight of 1.1 million Eiffel Towers. Over half of that was made after 2008. By 2050, we are on pace to make over 1 trillion kilograms of plastic every year – at which point we will have made enough to cover the entire United States ankle-deep in plastic.

In this sense, 1,000,000 kilograms may seem like a drop in the bucket in the grand scheme of the global plastic pollution problem. But the impact of the Clean Currents Coalition is clear – we need collective, local action as well as large systemic change to solve this crisis. The Coalition teams are making a difference in the lives of thousands of people impacted by plastic pollution in their communities. These solutions can be replicated in other communities and rivers. We can use our power as consumers to drive producers to make less plastic by using less plastic. But we also need top-down action to conquer the plastic menace. We need a strong global plastics treaty that doesn’t cut corners, and we need transformative policies that rethink our relationship with plastic.

1,000,000 kilograms is just the start of the journey for the Clean Currents Coalition.

The Clean Currents Coalition at the 2022 Coalition Symposium in Santa Barbara, California.

Three Gully Sites Now Operational and Managed by Jamaica Crews

A large group of volunteers, roughly 50 people, gather in two lines on the beach for a photo. They have just completed a beach clean up, and are standing around the many large garbage bags filled with the waste they cleaned up.
Volunteers at the GraceKennedy Foundation Kingston Harbour cleanup event (photo: Khristina Godfrey, GraceKennedy Foundation)

Three Interceptor™ Barriers are now deployed and operational at the mouths of Rae Town, Kingston Pen and Barnes gullies—in advance of the rainy season. In the first four months of operation, 5800 kg of waste has been collected. Of this, 2100 kg was plastic; the majority being half-liter PET water bottles. With each bottle having a median weight of roughly 20 grams, envision the volume prevented from reaching the ocean. This measure provides a baseline for operations launched at the tail-end of a dry season.

An aerial image of the coastline of Kingston Harbour. A drainage gully empties through coastal infrastructure, and the floating blue barrier extends across the opening of where the gully meets the ocean. In the distance, villages and mountains.
The Interceptor™ Barrier at the mouth of Barnes Gully in Kingston, Jamaica

The River Team’s plan is to deploy gully cleanup operations in the Kingston, Jamaica, region; our first phase was green-lighted at the end of 2021. Work will roll out in campaigns, with installations at the first three sites deemed pilot, or test. On February 8, daily operation was turned over to local partner Clean Harbours Jamaica. In the coming months, focus goes to learning more about conditions and refining our technologies and processes. A key objective is to cultivate best practices to follow when we return for the next round of additional gully interventions.

Manmade Gullies as Garbage Drains

Built in 1942, Jamaica’s concrete drainage system initially included seven branches that discharged into either Kingston Harbour or Hunt’s Bay. By 1962, the number had grown dramatically. Today, the network extends far inland to the hills of St. Andrews. The purpose of each pathway is to drain July to October seasonal downpours. Regrettably, gullies have become dumping grounds for neighborhoods that lack proper and routine garbage collection. Residents say the gullies get blocked with debris. Blockages cause localized flooding, plus damage to roads and homes. According to 2019 data, 80 percent of the solid waste emitted from gullies is plastic.1 On an annual basis, The Ocean Cleanup estimates that 947,000 kg of plastic travels down the gullies, eventually discharging into adjacent open bodies of water.2

Six people gather at the water's edge within a gully. Two are in the the water, the other four stand on land. The water is dark and polluted, the people in the water wear full wetsuits. On shore, there is trash all around. Across the water in the background, pieces of scrap metal are pieced together to create a fence.
The buildup of debris in Rae Town Gully as a typical example of the state of Kingston’s concrete drainage systems

Debris flows through the channels year-round. However, during the dry season, refuse piles up and can become immovable in spots until a seasonal rush of rainwater frees it. Trash heaps are discouraging, health hazards and wreak havoc on the environment. Beverage bottles, plastic packaging and bags dominate. Discards of daily life—bagged trash, tires, shoes—land in the gullies, as do clothes and refrigerators. Two waterways are tainted by riverside industries: Barnes has a chicken processing plant upstream and Kingston Pen is polluted by black oil and chemical run-off.

Solutions Placed at Three Venues

We initially estimated that the deployment of one Interceptor™ Original would be suitable. However, following on-site assessments, the team determined the overall volume of debris emitted into the harbor and from points along the coastline would require another remedy. We are now testing the design and placement of Interceptor Barriers at the mouths of gullies. The Interceptor Barrier consists of a rubber screen which hangs vertically, both above and below the water surface, and is connected to a series of floats; each float has ballast weight to keep it upright. Ends of the barrier arm are secured to land, with various points along the arm connected to the seabed via anchors. Once in place, it forms a U-shape with flex to permit motion from tidal and weather influences. The barrier keeps debris confined until operators can remove it.

A man stands on a boat in the ocean, in action pulling a rope towards him. He stands on the bow, the photo is taken from the boat. Extending from the boat in the background is a floating blue chain link barrier, which is being installed by the person in the photo to anchor points.
Installation of the Rae Town Interceptor™ Barrier

Rae Town was addressed first, followed by Kingston Pen which is adjacent to Port Authority. Kingston Pen is the smallest at eight meters wide. During rainfall, rubbish flows down this gully and instantly backwashes onto the beach. Barnes is the largest of the three, having a 30-meter-wide opening. Much flows through when it rains, including raw sewage from broken pipes that have not been repaired for more than 10 years. As a result, a sickening stench prevails. These venues are located within three miles of the offload site.

A person, photo taken from behind, sits at the helm of a boat. The boat is enclosed by a clear window, and through the window the front of the boat can be seen. The front of the boat is a mechanical conveyor belt, currently tilted upward on hinges. Two people outside on the front of the boat work on the conveyor. In the distance, the harbor and buildings.
The Interceptor™ Tender in action at Barnes Gully

To service the sites, we are trialing a new mobile extraction device. Our current pilot Interceptor™ Tender is a small barge with a conveyor belt that can scoop up in-water trash. The Interceptor Tender cycles between sites to collect debris, then transports it to a newly built offload site. Once there, the tender discharges debris into an onshore bin. Recyclables are picked up by Recycling Partners of Jamaica, and non-recyclable waste is transferred to a landfill. An advantage of having a mobile extraction unit is its ability to serve multiple deployments. Going forward, our plan is for adjacent sites to share an Interceptor Tender, thereby spreading costs.

Local Knowledge and Local Learning

Much knowledge was gained during these first installations. For containment zones, we initially placed some sections of the Interceptor Barrier in too shallow a water. From constant and often strong winds in the region, minor damage was sustained by some of the floats due to unanticipated contact with the seabed. We are working to remedy this by adjusting the configuration, then deploying in deeper water.

Wind also influences debris position and concentration within containment zones; we are seeing debris being blown closer, even up onto, the adjacent shore. When this happens, it impedes the ability to use the Interceptor Tender for scoop and removal. One interim solution is to manually collect, then place trash bags onto the Interceptor Tender for transport. Breeze in the region also affects tender maneuverability, at times rendering it difficult to operate. Local knowledge is helping us deal with that challenge—the on-site team schedules collections and runs when winds are calmer early in the day.

On the left, a concrete building with a wide open doorway. A person is holding a large trash bag in the doorway, and through the doorway many more trash bags are visible. To the right, a chain link fence surrounds the property, and in the distance is the ocean. In the center from a distance, a person approaches the doorway pushing a red wheelbarrow.
A large red truck with a large basin filled with waste in the rear stands idle on a dirt driveway.
Small trees in the foreground on the left. In the center, a gravel driveway. To the right, open land is enclosed by a chain link fence with a large building behind and mountains in the distance.
The local team has built a dedicated offload site, and Recycling Partners of Jamaica have beautified the site, planting grass and providing a pleasant work environment

We continue to gain insight while our local partners manage operations. What they share is aiding our current design and development of a larger extraction vessel pegged for use when expanding to additional cleanup locations.

Prized Partnerships

With only a few months in position, buzz is picking up as more Jamaicans view and understand the foreign objects popping up along their coastline. Positive signs are happening; much of this is due to the efforts of partner GraceKennedy (GK) Foundation, one of the Caribbean’s largest corporate foundations and a major partner for us. Aside from making introductions to key government and civic entities, which eased our permitting and licensing process, their team meets with communities near the gullies to sensitize residents about cleanup efforts.

Three people work together to put waste into a garbage bag. They kneel down with gloves and shovels. They are surrounded by piles of waste, and stand at the edge of the water in the harbor with a ship and buoy in the distance.
Four people work together among large rocks to clean up debris. Two people hold a large garbage bag open while others put waste into it. Behind them, an old blue-hulled boat sits on land.
Volunteers clean up debris around Kingston Harbour (photo: Khristina Godfrey, GraceKennedy Foundation)

At water’s edge and inland, GK Foundation staff and volunteers conduct education and outreach with a mission to eliminate the practice of using gullies as dumpsites. Clearing and maintaining gullies is under jurisdiction of local municipalities, so the Foundation focuses on manual cleanups at beaches near the gullies. Recently, the Interceptor Tender was used to transport haul gathered by 80 volunteers. Efforts of The Ocean Cleanup are one aspect of an overall strategic plan to restore the historic Kingston Harbour. The work is generating local interest and excitement from both public and private sector entities. It is the hope of the GK Foundation that by the end of Phase II, the project can be replicated in other parts of the island, as well as the Caribbean.

Our Rivers Team is currently back in the Netherlands where we continue to monitor via a combination of digital sensors placed at Jamaica sites, plus insight from local partners. It’s a learning process: we watch, measure, assess data, and adjust technology and operations as needed. During hurricane season we will scrutinize each barrier’s ability to halt and contain flows of trash after major rainfall events—monitoring how up-river debris impacts down-river intervention. What we learn in coming months will better prepare us for Phase II, providing additional insight on what to expect for year-round conditions. Experience gained during this stage will also help us make faster and smoother deployments.

1Presented during “2019 GraceKennedy Foundation annual lecture – Clean Kingston Harbour,” statistics by Mona GeoInformatics Institute
2The Ocean Cleanup map: River Plastic Emissions to the World’s Oceans https://theoceancleanup.com/sources/ and https://theoceancleanup.com/updates/expanding-the-interceptor-family/

Trapping Urban Plastic Debris and Waste Before it Reaches the Ocean

Aerial view of the Interceptor barrier and tender
During the test period, Interceptor Barriers will be placed at the mouths of gullies Rae Town, Barnes and Kingston Pen. An Interceptor Tender will service the gully sites, removing debris and transporting it to a dedicated offload platform.

On the southern coast of Jamaica we are working to trap urban plastic debris and waste before it can enter the Atlantic Ocean, starting with containment points along the Kingston Harbour coastline, and eventually within Hunt’s Bay.

Refuse within the concrete gullies and natural waterways has been building up. In recent years, damage to infrastructure has occurred. The Ocean Cleanup team member Renata Correia reviews conditions.

Long an eyesore affecting the health and welfare of communities, both the inland pile-up and flow of debris into regional bodies of water are hitting new tipping points. Repercussions are altering the environment, affecting local water conditions, extending into precious mangrove forests and reducing economic value that some populations derive when a healthy coastline is lost — notably fishermen. Debris has been building for years, contributing to today’s severely clogged waterways. In recent years, the situation has caused damage to infrastructure.

Insight Through Understanding

To better understand conditions in the region, we used direct analysis and observation plus community knowledge collected by partners GraceKennedy Foundation and Clean Harbours Jamaica. GraceKennedy Foundation is one of the Caribbean’s largest community service groups. The Foundation is leading ongoing education and outreach, with one of its goals being to protect the mangroves. The Clean Harbours Jamaica organization oversees restoration of natural harbors, gullies and streams on the island. Both organizations have been able to share with us valuable insight into conditions that transpire during both the rainy and dry seasons. The GraceKennedy team will also oversee volunteer efforts for manual cleanup of the gullies. 

Whereas our cleanup plans initially anticipated deployment of an Original Interceptor™ in one gully, we have since adjusted course. Based on findings, we concluded that individually customized solutions better address conditions at each of the 11 cleanup venues. We plan to deploy our newly developed Interceptor™ Barrier, paired with one or more Interceptor™ Tenders. By strategically placing barriers, either at the mouth of or within a gully or conduit, our goal is to contain floating debris and prevent it from reaching the ocean. To test and optimize effectiveness, we will roll-out operations in two phases.

During the test period, Interceptor Barriers will be placed at the mouths of gullies Rae Town, Barnes and Kingston Pen. Left: An Interceptor Tender will service the gully sites, removing debris and transporting it to a dedicated offload platform. Right: Debris collecting at the mouth of the Rae Town gully.  

Phase 1: Interceptor Barriers at Rae Town, Barnes, Kingston Pen Gullies 

During Phase 1, a test period anticipated to last a minimum of six months, Interceptor Barriers will be placed at the mouths of gullies Rae Town, Barnes and Kingston Pen. We anticipate trapping and removing everything from plastic bottles, styrofoam containers and bagged waste, to objects as large as household appliances. All operations will be monitored and measured. Our system is most effective during wet months when rainwater pushes debris down the gullies, but Interceptor Barriers will remain in place throughout the year.

Community acceptance of operations at the Rae Town venue has been positive. This smaller village, with its significant population of fishermen, has embraced the effort and is enthusiastically supporting and sharing advice about local conditions. Gaining acceptance from a surrounding community greatly contributes to the potential for success.

We will also pilot our newly developed Interceptor Tender, a modified version of German firm Berky’s Aquatic Weed Harvester. The Interceptor Tender can remove and transport up to 5.5 m3 of debris and will initially service the first three sites. Extractions will be coordinated according to a master schedule, with offload of each haul completed at a newly built debris collection platform. From the offload site, local waste collection agency Recycling Partners of Jamaica will gather and take debris to a managed landfill. We are training local operators Clean Harbours Jamaica to handle the cleanup efforts. This group will eventually assume responsibility for operation of all Interceptor venues in Jamaica.

Left: Members of the Jamaica team installing an Interceptor Barrier at the Rae Town venue. Right: Assembling three Interceptor Barriers. During Phase 1, an Interceptor Barrier will be placed at the mouth of Rae Town, Barnes and Kingston Pen gullies.

Phase 2: Eight Additional Interceptor Barriers

Upon completion of a successful test period (Phase 1), Phase 2 will commence with installation of Interceptor Barriers at the eight remaining gullies, plus the addition of Interceptor Tenders to service these sites. During 2022 we anticipate reaching a significant volume of waste extraction; forecasting that by end of Phase 2, ongoing debris removal at all eleven gullies can amount to more than 900 metric tons per year.

Cleanup and Community: Why Locals are Key to Sustained Cleanup

Waste flowing through the Mountain View Gully, Kingston

The Ocean Cleanup’s mission is to rid the oceans of plastic. We plan to do this through a two-pronged approach: clean up the legacy floating plastic in the oceanic garbage patches and intercept new plastic from entering via rivers. The garbage patches are no man’s land; they’re in international waters, so no one had attempted to solve them before our project commenced in 2013. On the other hand, rivers do belong to someone. Not only are they under the jurisdiction of their respective countries, but locals take responsibility for them too; for many, rivers can be their source of water, income, heritage, or repose. 

Recently, a small project team from The Ocean Cleanup visited Kingston, Jamaica, the soon-to-be home of one of our next river projects, thanks to the grant from the Benioff Ocean Initiative. The small crew consisted of researchers, engineers, business developers, and communications colleagues who went to learn more about the project as a whole. The insights from the trip helped us to understand the environment in which we will deploy our technology and determine our next steps. But, an important insight came from the community who will benefit from the project – and whose participation is crucial for it to be truly effective. 

The Ocean Cleanup project team members Jasper (engineering) and Renata (research) on-site in Jamaica
The Ocean Cleanup business developers Mathilde and Bastiaan on-site in Jamaica

Pollution in Kingston

Kingston is Jamaica’s capital city. It’s the central hub for international air travel and home to 1.2 million people. This beautiful capital is rich in culture and scenery. Yet, a significant problem for the city stems from its pollution; in Kingston, sewage and rainfall push waste through its network of gullies. Kingston Harbour is the recipient of the many gullies’ water flow that carries much of the city’s trash into the ocean, an estimated 578,000 kilograms yearly. It’s an issue that permeates the country and frustrates its inhabitants. 

Plastic debris amassed in the Constant Spring Gully
Plastic waste accumulated along the Mountain View Gully

Community involvement

During the latest reconnaissance trip, the team spoke with Jamaicans along the gullies’ routes to the ocean. The local community is integral to our operations. Their background knowledge on the subject matter is invaluable, and you can only get it by going there and speaking with them face-to-face. In conversations, some admitted to dumping waste in the gullies due to lacking infrastructure; others simply knew that it didn’t come from their immediate community. But, everyone agreed that it did not need to be there and that they wanted to help find a way to solve it.

Mathilde and Jasper meeting with local partners

An essential aspect of our work with the Clean Currents Coalition is the community outreach pillar. Working together with local partners, we are exploring ways to involve locals in the project that empower them and help them be part of the solutions. One of which is a youth education program that provides learning programs in schools on the pollution problem and solutions that everyone can enact. Additionally, we will collaborate with local waste management to suggest ways to improve on the current situation and to sort and dispose of the waste properly. 

The Ocean Cleanup project team speaking with a member of the local community

Ultimately, this project is for the oceans, but it starts in Jamaica and affects Jamaicans. The only way we can be effective is to have local buy-in and involvement. Fortunately, the people of Jamaica are on board. They want to see change and to be a part of it. We are optimistic that the Interceptor project in Jamaica is the catalyst for lasting change that leads to clean waters that resemble the beautiful country it runs through. 

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River Guardians: Meet the Teams of the Clean Currents Coalition

Amazon River Basin photo
The Blue Marble (NASA). The Amazon River Basin is the largest in the world by water volume.

Where rivers flow, life is found. Like veins in our bodies, rivers carry water and nutrients across our planet, allowing both human civilization and nature to flourish. But rivers also act as one of the main conduits of plastic waste into the environment – the arteries that carry waste from land to the ocean. And as we clog these arteries with plastic, we threaten the health of our planet.

In our first blog, we introduced our solution to the challenge of river plastic waste: the Clean Currents Coalition. The heart and soul of the Clean Currents Coalition are the 9 innovative and dedicated teams across the world working tirelessly to make an impact on their communities, river systems, and ultimately, the ocean.

We are excited to introduce to you the 9 amazing teams of the Clean Currents Coalition, in their own words…

Greeneration Foundation, Citarum River, Indonesia

“Our Indonesian-Finnish partnership includes Greeneration Foundation, Waste4Change and RiverRecycle, working to intercept plastic waste in the Citarum River before it enters the Java Sea. The Citarum River is the largest and longest river in West Java, supporting 25 million people and 22% of the West Java area.

The Greeneration Foundation, Waste4Change, and RiverRecycle teams discussing plans for the Citarum River. (Photo: Greeneration Foundation)

“With our capture system, we aim to collect 70 tons of waste per day. All recyclables will be recycled responsibly while low value waste will be processed using pyrolysis technology. Simultaneously, we will conduct communications and outreach aimed to improve awareness toward more responsible waste management. Once this pilot project is successful, we hope to replicate and disseminate our work in other parts of the world.”

Ichthion, Portoviejo River, Ecuador

“Our mission is to protect, restore, and create a safe future for the ocean’s fauna and flora using cutting edge technology. In partnership with the Circular Foundation, the Provincial Government of Manabí, and Impact Recycling, we are deploying the Azure System® to intercept plastics in the Portoviejo River. This interception system combines physical recovery, power generation systems, and gathering of essential data for decision-making and improving municipal waste management systems.

The Ichthion team in a virtual “Zoom” meeting – one of the many adaptations the Clean Currents Coalition teams have made to continue having an impact during a global crisis. (Photo: Ichthion)

“As the Portoviejo River travels through the Manabí province, inadequately managed waste finds its way to the water. This contamination not only affects the river’s ecosystem but also travels directly into the Pacific Ocean, affecting dozens of species and sensitive marine ecosystems such as the Galápagos Marine Reserve. Being a part of the Clean Currents Coalition is a great honor that is enabling us to deploy our technology to help one of the most impoverished communities in Ecuador and one of the most vulnerable ecosystems in the world. This project will also serve as a catalyst for us to continue deploying other projects in the region and into other regions with similar plastic waste conditions.”

Marea Verde, Matías Hernández River, Panama

“At Marea Verde, a Panamanian nonprofit established in 2017, we address river and coastal pollution through civic action and innovative technological solutions. We work in the Matías Hernández watershed with projects in environmental education, beach and mangrove cleanups, and a floating barrier to capture waste flowing down the river.

Marea Verde team members remove waste trapped by their floating barrier system in the Matías Hernández River, Panama City. (Photo: Marea Verde)

“As part of the Clean Currents Coalition we will work with urban communities upriver, understand their waste behavior and the incentives that could drive behavior change. We will also upgrade our capture system similar to Baltimore Bay’s Mr. Trash Wheel. A diverse and professional team has come together for this project, including Baltimore’s Clearwater Mills, Panama’s Technological University, and Wisy, an AI startup. We are excited and look forward to an enriching experience and active exchange among Coalition members during this journey.”

“The Foundation is excited to share the learnings from this comprehensive river cleanup initiative with the Clean Currents Coalition members as we work together to identify and implement new and innovative approaches to tackle the issues of marine plastics in our rivers.”

— TerraCycle Global Foundation

The Ocean Cleanup, Kingston Harbour, Jamaica

“The Ocean Cleanup, the Dutch non-profit organization developing advanced technologies to rid the world’s oceans of plastic, is collaborating with the Recycling Partners of Jamaica (RPJ) to deploy an Interceptor in a multi-year project at Sandy Gully in the heart of Kingston Harbour, Jamaica.

The Ocean Cleanup founder, Boyan Slat, aboard an Interceptor in Malaysia. (Photo: The Ocean Cleanup)

“While The Ocean Cleanup provides the technology, RPJ will operate the Interceptor and ensure the environmentally sound disposal of all collected plastics and materials. Key focus will also be placed on a robust communication and community education program that will encourage proper waste disposal and active recycling cultures. The highly visible location, which is vital to Jamaica’s tourism industry, will reaffirm the country’s strong commitment to protecting the environment and arm it with new capabilities to address the challenge. This project will be one of the first in The Ocean Cleanup’s mission to tackle the 1000 heaviest polluting rivers in the world.

“Being part of the Clean Currents Coalition is a great way to exchange ideas, experiences and best practices in dealing with plastic waste in rivers around the world, and will provide an excellent platform to demonstrate the importance of addressing rivers in solving the ocean plastic problem.”

Ocean Conservancy, Song Hong (Red River), Vietnam

“The Song Hong (Red River) weaves through northern Vietnam, ending in the coastal province of Nam Dinh. At the river’s mouth is a RAMSAR site–Xuan Thuy National Park–which boasts rich migratory bird habitat and mangroves that support local fisheries. Unfortunately, it’s under threat by plastic waste. A 2019 study conducted by Ocean Conservancy and partners indicates a negative relationship between the quantity of marine debris in the park and mangrove health.

The Ocean Conservancy team on the Song Hong. (Photo: Ocean Conservancy)

“To help reduce the pressure on this vital ecosystem, Ocean Conservancy has teamed up with a leading Vietnamese NGO, the Centre for Marinelife Conservation and Community Development (MCD), to install five river plastic capture devices at several waste hotspots in Nam Dinh. The team will also measure the impact of the traps with Dr. Chelsea Rochman (University of Toronto), and work with political leaders at all levels to help drive improvements in the waste management and recycling systems. Building on our International Coastal Cleanup, our team will work to engage the public in reducing ocean-bound plastic. Through the Clean Currents Coalition we’re excited to exchange lessons learned with other groups tackling similar problems.”

Renew Oceans, Assi River, India

“At Renew Oceans we believe clean oceans begin with clean rivers. We are working to reduce ocean plastic waste where it begins – in populous, river-adjacent communities.

Sorting through waste collected and removed from the Assi River, a tributary of the Ganges River in the holy city of Varanasi, India. (Photo: Renew Oceans)

“Our inaugural project Renew Ganga is located along the Assi River, a tributary of the Ganges River (Ganga in Hindi). Renew Ganga employs a 3 C approach – collection of land and river-based plastics, conversion of that plastic into fuel or recycled material, and community engagement, awareness building, and behavior change. Though behavior change and awareness doesn’t happen overnight, our team is dedicated to working alongside waste pickers, policymakers, educators, and volunteers to continually reduce river plastic waste in the Assi. We are excited to be part of the Clean Currents Coalition and join a global network of organizations working collaboratively to eliminate river plastic waste.”

“The Clean Currents Coalition is a great way to exchange ideas, experiences and best practices in dealing with plastic waste in rivers around the world, and will provide an excellent platform to demonstrate the importance of addressing rivers in solving the ocean plastic problem.“

— The Ocean Cleanup

Smart Villages & Chemolex, Athi River, Kenya 

“Chemolex Company is a fast-growing social enterprise based in Nairobi, Kenya. We have partnered with Smart Villages Research Group to develop and install innovative plastic capture devices at strategic locations within River Athi and its tributaries such as River Nairobi, Ngong and Mbagathi.

Athi River, Kenya cleanup
A boom is installed in the Nairobi River to collect data on plastic waste and hydrological conditions to develop a capture device suited to the river site. (Photo: Chemolex Company)

“With this project, we hope to stop the existing marine plastic waste problem that is fed by the vast amounts of plastic waste in the upstream sections of River Athi. By installing these devices, we will also be able to obtain data and scientific information on river plastic waste. These data will be utilized in developing policy documents and undertaking comprehensive awareness campaigns in Kenya’s urban informal settlements that release up to 2,000 tons of waste on a daily basis. The outreach programs will be centered on the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle), to help enable sustainable plastic waste management in Kenya. In addition, an average of 10 tons of plastic waste collected from the various river segments will be used to produce affordable and effective construction materials such as fencing poles, tiles and pavement blocks. To maximize the social impacts of this project, we are partnering with community based organizations (CBOs) and women and youth groups in managing the plastic capture devices. These groups will be trained on how to develop sustainable enterprises within the waste management sector.”

TerraCycle Global Foundation, Lat Phrao Canal, Thailand

“The TerraCycle Global Foundation is building upon an existing partnership with its Thai-based affiliated partner, the TerraCycle Thai Foundation and local environmental NGO, the Blue Carbon Society, to implement a community-focused marine plastic capture system and communication initiative in the Lat Phrao Canal in Bangkok. This waterway traverses a densely populated, low income canal community with more than 100,000 residents and is an integral link in Bangkok’s extensive canal system connected to the Chao Phraya River, Thailand’s longest and most polluted river which empties directly into the Gulf of Thailand.  The Foundation is excited to share the learnings from this comprehensive river cleanup initiative with the Clean Currents Coalition members as we work together to identify and implement new and innovative approaches to tackle the issues of marine plastics in our rivers.”

In a Bangkok canal, waste is funneled to a collection basket where it is removed and repurposed by the TerraCycle team. (Photo: TerraCycle Global Foundation)

WILDCOAST, Tijuana River, Mexico

“With offices on both sides of the US-Mexico border, WILDCOAST and our partners are directly affected by Tijuana-generated plastics and tires that are transported by the binational Tijuana River into coastal areas that eventually enter the Pacific Ocean. In Tijuana, uncollected plastics and chronic illegal dumping in canyons and ravines along the river contribute significantly to marine pollution on both sides of the border. This pollution impacts fragile ecosystems and wildlife as well as public health. Currently, the only plastics-intercepting infrastructure is located in the US. It is imperative to build matching infrastructure in Mexico to address the problem closer to the source. We are very excited to have the support of the Clean Currents Coalition, which will allow us to remedy this issue.”

Tires and other forms of waste are removed from a creek bed during a river cleanup led by WILDCOAST. (Photo: WILDCOAST)

Hungry for more about these innovative teams and the rivers that inspire them? Check back in over the next few weeks as we let the Clean Currents Coalition teams themselves take the blogging stage to share their own stories from the riverbank.

Categories
Assi River, India Juan Díaz River, Panama Juan Díaz River, Panama Lat Phrao Canal, Thailand Lat Phrao Canal, Thailand Song Hong, Vietnam Tijuana River, Mexico

Tackling River Plastic Waste: Introducing the Clean Currents Coalition

Oil Spill
The blowout of Union Oil’s Platform A released 3 million gallons of crude oil into the Pacific Ocean, coating 800 sq. miles of ocean and killing thousands of seabirds, marine mammals, and fish. It is the third largest oil spill in the history of the United States, behind only the BP Deepwater Horizon and Exxon Valdez spills. (Photo: Santa Barbara Maritime Museum/Dick Smith Collection)

On January 28, 1969, catastrophe struck. When an offshore oil platform off the California coast experienced a blow-out, over 3 million gallons of crude oil gushed into the Pacific Ocean. But while a black tide smothered the coastline, a green tide rose in the small California seaside town of Santa Barbara and quickly spread across the globe. In 1970, the first Earth Day was celebrated. Today it is the largest secular observance in the world, engaging over 1 billion people in 192 countries.

Fifty years later, the penchant for sparking global action remains strong in Santa Barbara. The Benioff Ocean Initiative, based at the University of California Santa Barbara, channels that spirit of global action to tackle the most pressing issues facing our ocean. Only now the focus has shifted to a new environmental problem: plastics.

The University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) campus, home to the Benioff Ocean Initiative at the Marine Science Institute. (Photo: Marine Science Institute, UCSB).

Plastics are remarkable materials. They are strong, durable, flexible, and easy to produce. From their use in cars and electronics to food packaging and healthcare, plastics are ubiquitous in modern life. Since 1950, over 7.8 billion tons of new plastics have been produced – the equivalent of 1 ton for every person currently living on Earth.

Of those 7.8 billion tons, only 9% have ever been recycled.

Some have been incinerated (12%), but the vast majority remain overflowing in landfills and accumulating in the environment. And once they are in the environment, the ultimate fate of many plastics is the ocean. Every year, up to 12 million tons of plastics enter the ocean. It is predicted that by 2050 there will be more plastics in the ocean by weight than fish.

While some plastics — like fishing gear — enter the ocean directly, most are transported from land, much of which is via rivers. Up to 275 tons of plastics enter the ocean from rivers every hour.

Because of this, rivers offer a unique opportunity to fight the plastics crisis. In the ocean, plastics are carried to hard-to-reach places like the open ocean, down the water column, and to the sea floor. Rivers, on the other hand, are accessible, relatively shallow, and act as point sources of plastics. To turn off the tap of plastics entering the ocean, rivers are a great place to start.

Theoretical design of a river plastic capture device. Floating booms guide plastic waste to collection points.

With this knowledge, the Benioff Ocean Initiative and The Coca-Cola Foundation have partnered to create and support a global network of innovative, mission-driven problem solvers: the Clean Currents Coalition.

Consisting of 9 teams in 9 different countries, the Clean Currents Coalition is combating the flow of plastic waste from rivers to the ocean. The interdisciplinary teams of the Clean Currents Coalition are developing new and innovative technologies to capture plastic waste in highly-polluted rivers and to repurpose and recycle the collected materials.

But the intervention doesn’t stop there. While there are many noble plastics clean up efforts underway around the world, the Clean Currents Coalition is taking it one step further. Through extensive data collection and pioneering the use of new technologies like artificial intelligence, we are compiling a standardized, global dataset of plastic waste in the environment to better inform scientific research and management strategies. The teams are also working closely with their local communities to create real change surrounding policy, infrastructure, and behavior related to plastic waste. Our goal is that one day, thanks to the Clean Currents Coalition, there will no longer be plastic waste in our rivers to remove.

Mapping the rivers illustration
The Clean Currents Coalition consists of 9 teams working in 9 countries: Ecuador (Portoviejo River), India (Assi River), Indonesia (Citarum River), Jamaica (Kingston Harbor), Kenya (Nairobi & Athi Rivers), Mexico (Tijuana River), Panama (Matías Hernández River), Thailand (Lat Phrao Canal), and Vietnam (Song Hong River).

Today, each Clean Currents Coalition team is working in one community on one river system. But together, through collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and a common goal, our ambition is to use what we learn and help replicate these successes to more and more river communities around the world. We are taking the lead on global action to fight a global problem.

Join us on the journey of the Clean Currents Coalition. Follow us on this blog as we share the unique stories of these rivers and their communities as they work towards cleaner currents.