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.
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.
The TerraCycle Thai Foundation crew empties a trash trap in Lat Phrao Canal
In our last blog post, we walked through a day in the life of a TerraCycle Foundation canal clean up. Every day, our dedicated team works hard to ensure the canals are a little bit cleaner than we found them. And while our primary target is plastic, we take great care to rid the canals of all their unnatural contents—plastic or not.
Waste accumulates in a TerraCycle Thai Foundation trash trap
There shouldn’t be anything other than fish and plants in the canals, but unfortunately that is not the case in the canals of Bangkok and many other rivers and canals around the world. There is, of course, plastic and other common waste items. But you’d be surprised by the many other strange items we find lurking beneath the water.
You may think of river and ocean waste as plastic bottles and bags, but what about motorcycle parts and helmets?
Motorcycle parts and helmets removed from the canal
Every room in the house produces its own type of waste, and somehow it escapes and joins the other trash in our waterways. Common culprits include diapers, shower heads, shampoo bottles, condoms, needles, and even medical waste.
Syringes, condoms, and diapers are frequently found in the canal
The kitchen may be the guiltiest room of them all. We see lots of food waste and garbage bags, but also fridges, food processors, kettles, cookware, and even bento lunch boxes.
Common kitchen items spotted during clean up efforts
When you clean the canal every day, you never know what you might find. Water filters, mannequins, police caps, license plates, kids carnival ride seats, temple altars, and even love voodoo dolls.
A few of the stranger pieces uncovered in the canal: police hats, voodoo dolls, and carnival ride seats
In the case of the voodoo dolls, whoever was trying to bind the two lovers together may have instead caused a little bad luck when they threw themselves into the polluted canal. We hope that through our efforts, a cleaner canal will once again carry good luck through Bangkok.
A TerraCycle Thai Foundation crew member holds up stuffed characters recovered from the canal
Lat Phrao Canal in Bangkok, home of the TerraCycle Thai Foundation
A day in the life of a TerraCycle Foundation cleanup
Part 1: The Boat Crew
Every morning at 7am our boat crew begins their day. Bangkok is very hot so an early start lets the team get through part of the day before it gets too hot. Their commute is short as they all live in the community along the canal. They meet at K. Sam’s place, he is our boat captain, and is a retired community leader who has been working to keep the canal clean for many years. Everyone loads onto the boat and they begin their journey.
The boat crew has 3 people: 1 “captain” or driver, and 2 collectors. The collectors stand near the front on each side of the front of the boat with long nets. They collect debris floating in the water and direct the captain to areas where the waste is trapped or collected along the sides of the canal. Every day the waste is different in its amounts and type of waste collected. Many factors such as weather, flooding, time of year, events, construction, and other factors determine the type of waste collected.
A boat full of river waste
In the Lat Phrao canal, we currently operate 3 river plastic traps, but as mentioned we also collect directly from the canals, and other natural and man-made barriers. We have nicknamed our devices for the communities they are placed in. “Lat Phrao 80” is our first stop. The team secures the boat to the device and begins collecting the waste that has been collected since the device was cleaned the day before. The river plastic traps are shaped like a large box with holes in it to allow water to pass through, but plastics and other waste is captured. There are also a set of long arms on the front of the device to capture waste from a larger area. We cannot block the whole canal as it is used by local communities for transportation. The river plastic trap also collects material mid-water, not just at the surface. The canals range from 1-1.5 meters deep, so the devices go down almost a meter. Collecting from the device is hard work, and volunteers that come to help us are often surprised how fast and efficient the team works. Since the project began, we have tried different methods, equipment and techniques and have found a system that is simple, works well, and gets everything done on time each day.
Collecting on the river plastic trap
Each trap takes between 20-40 min to collect and clean, and can contain between 300-800 kg of waste, which the teams collect each day. Since our river plastic traps are in very public and busy areas, it’s important that they are kept as presentable as possible, even though they are filled with trash. Once the team has finished collecting, they will return to our MRC (Material Recovery Center). This is where the waste is dried, sorted, and processed for recycling. As always, along the way the team collects along the canal as there is new waste everyday. The team repeats this process for “Wanghin 61” and “Army 11” (Yes it’s nicknamed for nearby army barracks).
Once they have completed all 3 devices, it’s usually time for lunch. Their favorite spot is under a tree next door to our MRC, they get a little shade and they have their “picnic” area set up. After lunch they will either complete their collections or join the sorting team to help with sorting and other tasks. There are often lots of projects to keep them busy; the environment is hard on equipment so there are always nets to mend, equipment to repair, or something to upgrade. This week we had lockers donated to us for the team, so they are cleaning and painting them.
So that’s a typical day for the boat crew, but we still have our land team, or sorting team. While every member is cross trained in other roles, they each have their “home station” and particular tasks or jobs they are responsible for.
Part 2: The Sorting Team
The waste before it is sorted
Once the boat team arrives at the MRC, the boat is unloaded and each basket is measured and recorded according to which device or area it was collected. Then the waste is spread out across our sorting area to dry for 24 hours. This allows any additional water weight to evaporate or drain off and makes sorting easier.
The MRC team of 3-4 people arrives by boat or motorbike each morning and begins to sort and process the collected waste from the previous day’s collection. On the first pass they remove everything recyclable. They then separate the organic waste from non-recyclable materials and weigh and record all the material before placing it in a compactor bin that will be sent to a waste-to-energy facility. As we are a canal/river cleanup that is committed to zero waste to landfill, we must find a way to process all the waste collected regardless if it is recyclable or not. This is one of the biggest challenges as what people think we collect, and what we actually collect is quite different. If the waste was mostly bottles, bags, and straws, with some plants, as many people think it is, it would be much easier, but the reality is unfortunately quite different. While we do collect thousands of bottles, bags, and straws, we also collect everything else you can imagine and many you cannot. Remember everything people buy or use eventually ends up as garbage, and everything that is garbage eventually ends up in the canals and rivers.
Sorting in a sea of plastic
Some of the most common items we collect besides plastics are: Shoes, clothing, backpacks, purses, luggage, helmets, toys, diapers, spray cans, light bulbs, TVs, furniture, sports equipment, tires, motorcycle parts, mattresses, and stuffed animals. Some of these can be recycled with special processes or recyclers, but they are usually not accepted by most recyclers. Not to mention, as we collected them from the canal, they tend to be dirtier than if they were collected from land-based garbage. Another factor that people often forget is that many of these products hold chemicals or contain toxic substances, that when dumped into the canal, they can be released into the water and make their way to the ocean.
Separating by plastic types
In the afternoon, the team will switch to other duties, such as compacting waste into plastic bales to prepare for shipping, or cleaning drink boxes and flattening them for drying and baling. With so many waste streams to process and recycle there is always something to prepare and process. They also record data and images at every step along the way. This helps us understand what types of waste we are getting, so we can also develop programs to help change waste management behaviors to prevent those items from being dumped in the future.
During the COVID lockdown, we continued to operate as most of our team arrived by boat. During this time we saw a large increase in takeout food containers, usually made from polystyrene. Although steps have been made to ban these, they continue to be in heavy use in Thailand still. What’s worse is there is no recycling infrastructure for this type of plastic in Thailand currently, so our only option is to send it to waste-to-energy. Although they are being diverted from landfills and the ocean, it would be significantly better if food vendors switched to an organic, reusable, or more easily recycled packaging.
Recording data
Coming to the end of each day, each team completes their daily reports and sends them to our office. Then our work area is cleaned and prepared for the next day. Just because we collect a lot of waste in our efforts to stop plastics and waste from entering the ocean doesn’t mean we have to work in a garbage dump.
So, although our processes seem simple, they are all part of a daily routine that ensures we are able to manage the large volume of waste we collect every day. It’s not that we are without challenges from the weather, flooding, malfunctioning equipment, changes with processors, etc., but by having a clear program each day with a strong well-trained team, we can overcome the challenges and deliver on our promise to clean up the waterways, canals, and rivers of Thailand.
We have collected over 140,000 kg of river waste since first deploying our river plastic traps on June 16th, 2020. As far as we were concerned, this is a great start – but it’s just the beginning.
We are achieving many of our impact goals, and will continue to do so, but some of the impacts I am most proud of, are those that won’t be on the headlines and are difficult to measure. I know we will have a positive impact on the waste behaviors of the communities we work in, and that we will prevent and remove large amounts of plastic and other wastes from ending up in oceans or landfills, but it is the impact on the individual lives that will truly leave their mark.
TerraCycle Thai Foundation member at the plastic trap in the Lat Phrao Canal, Bangkok (left). Polystyrene boxes and fridges are common items we find (right)
From the beginning we always wanted to be people focused. In fact, in one government meeting a very high-level official said that they had received numerous proposals for plastic waste collection and reduction, but that we were the first ones that focused on how we could support the local community. Other organizations were not focused on creating opportunities for local waste pickers and disadvantaged workers.
I also wanted to change the perception of trash pickers in the communities we work in. I wanted to show them as heroes, willing to do the work that others were not. I make sure that they are a part of everything we do, and when we begin our outreach, I also want them to speak to the communities in their own words, so they are seen as leaders of change. This will also help them build their confidence and skills so that they will have better opportunities in the future.
TCTF Sorting site crew L to R (Roj, Goch, Art, Pond). Lat Phrao Sorting Site. Waste is spread out for drying. Once it is dry it gets sorted for recycling.
We have provided full or part-time work for 14 people in the community, but this impact cannot be counted in numbers. Most of our staff have limited education and are shy. They do a very difficult job every day, without complaint. They do it in the rainy monsoon season, and they do it in 30-35 degree sun (86-95F). They encounter every type of waste you can imagine, and they do it with pride and a smile. People come for a tour and are exhausted in less than an hour of helping.
Thai celebrities Lougolf, Maria Poonlertlap Miss Universe Thailand 2017, and local YouTuber Wannasingh pose for photo after helping clean canal at a cleanup event (left). Tour group watching team collect from a device before trying themselves (right).
When we interviewed our staff about their job and how they felt about it, every one of them stated it was a difficult job, but they are proud to do it. They talked about how their family was proud of them as well, and that working for the Foundation has provided stability for their families. One employee K. Num who is in his 50’s told me one day, “I’ve never been able to keep a job for very long before, nothing would last more than a few months. This is the best job I’ve had, and I am very happy here.” Statements like these are a true measure of impact.
“Tee” Pulls a suitcase from the device. These are one of the strange but common items we get each week
Then there is K. Sam, the retired community leader. He was stressed out and unhappy driving a taxi to help his family. Despite this, he kept showing up and volunteering his time to us. He was so committed to helping us succeed, I had to have him join us full time. He quit his taxi job and is dedicated to making our project a success. Working with us also allows him to follow his other passion of coaching kids’ soccer. His family has lived on the canal for 3 generations and he remembers decades ago when they used to brush their teeth and drink from the canal. In his lifetime he wants to see the canal return to what it was in his childhood. K. Sam has told us that many groups came and went before us, trying to make an impact. He said they would get 30-50kg a day and eventually all failed. He is incredibly proud to be part of the TerraCycle Thai Foundation and believes we can return the canal to its natural state. K. Sam proudly leads our boat team, is always smiling, and helps us collect over 1,000-2,500 kgs a day!
Lat Phrao waste in our River Plastic trap – Food packaging and even fully wrapped bags of garbage are quite common in the canal (left). TCTF team with Dr. Wayne Phillips, Mahidol University students, and Maria Poonlertlarp spreading out waste to dry and sort (right).
2021 will see us continue to grow as a team, and as an organization. We will continue to find innovative ways to recycle difficult materials, keep our team strong and focused, and find a solution for every recycling challenge on our journey. Our continued success is a direct result of our team, as well as the many, many, people, partners, sponsors, and organizations that have helped us, and share our vision for a future that includes plastic free Canals, Rivers, and Oceans.
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.”
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
“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.“
“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.
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.”
“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)
“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.
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.
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.
