Ocean Cleanup Device is a Success

There is officially some hope to be found for the Great Pacific Garbage Patch's removal. First, let's start with some background information.

• What is the garbage patch though? 

It is exactly what it sounds like. It is a massive island of various trash created from everything from plastics to baking pans. Its located between California and Hawaii in the pacific ocean and spans more than 600,000 miles, twice the size of Texas. 

• How did so much trash end up in a swirling vortex of the Pacific Ocean?

Humans. The majority of the trash found within the Garbage Patch is from North American and Asian land. Additionally, some trash is contributed by boaters who lose or discard of their garbage into the ocean. On a larger scale, offshore oil rigs and large cargo ships also contribute through the same means as well as through the lose of equipment in the water.

• Is this the only garbage patch on Earth?

Sadly, no. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is the largest out of the five main patches. The other four main patches are found in the Indian Ocean and Atlantic Oceans. There are more smaller patches in addition to the main five all around the world though.

• What's the big deal?

The Garbage Patch is a major problem for the environment for countless reasons. For brevity's sake, I'll only name a couple The marine life in the ocean is consuming this plastic and becoming extremely sick or dying, which has its own set of repercussions. Additionally, the plastic naturally degrades as it does in landfills. Except in the ocean, those micro plastics are absorbed and eaten by the fish living in the ocean. The fish we humans love to eat. Some studies have even found micro plastics in humans, likely partially caused by seafood consumption.

• So, what is this new device?

It is simply called the System 001/B. It is the first major success of its parent The Ocean Cleanup Project, created by Boyan Slat. The device works in a fairly simple yet effective manner, which aims to collect 50% of the total garbage in the next 5 years. The device is made of a giant C-Shaped ring, a skirt so marine life can pass underneath, and a sea anchor. The C-Shaped ring is pulled around the ocean by the wind and collects garbage as it moved through the water. Simultaneously, the sea anchor slows the device's movement so that the surrounding garbage can keep up with it and be collected. The device is emptied after a few months by a boat that comes to retrieve the garbage which finds the device through its satellites and sensors. So, after several revisions and reattempts to the design of the boom, its creators are hopeful it will be successful enough to collect at least half of the Patch.