23 June 2016: The Government of the Netherlands has awarded €500,000 to Ocean Cleanup to support the test of a prototype of equipment designed to remove plastic debris from the oceans. The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) has highlighted this project as part of efforts to address plastic waste in the world’s oceans.

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 (Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources) includes Target 14.1 on reducing marine pollution, including from marine debris.

Much of the plastic debris that ends up in the world’s oceans and seas originated on land, according to CMS. Other sources of ocean plastic come from lost or discarded fishing nets, which can entangle marine mammals such as dolphins and turtles. Further, because plastic takes a long time to degrade, plastic waste in the ocean can be accidentally swallowed by marine species, which CMS notes can be fatal. CMS also highlights actions such as reducing the use of plastic bags, promoting safe disposal of plastic bags, or imposing bans, as ways to reduce the impact of plastics on the environment and wildlife.

Ocean Cleanup will first test the equipment in the North Sea. If the test is successful, Ocean Cleanup then plans to launch a pilot project off Japan’s Pacific coast in 2017. This equipment is the first ocean cleanup prototype ever tested at sea.

Boyan Slat, CEO and founder of The Ocean Cleanup, developed the prototype to tackle the problem of plastic waste in the ocean after observing more plastic bags than fish in the Mediterranean Sea. Slat described the one-year test as an historic event “on the path toward clean oceans. A successful outcome of this test should put us on track to deploy the first operational pilot system in late 2017.”

“The Ocean Cleanup is an inspiring example of how we can tackle the growing problem of ocean pollution,” reflected Dutch Environment Minister Sharon Dijksma. She expressed hope that the prototype “will turn out to be the successful solution for cleaning up the mid-ocean gyres. This is crucial to prevent permanent damage to the environment and marine life, due to the degradation and fragmentation of plastic waste materials.”

Also on plastic waste, the 17th meeting of the UN Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea (ICP-17) focused on ‘Marine debris, plastics and microplastics.’ ICP-17 convened from 13-17 June 2016, at UN Headquarters in New York, the US. [CMS Press Release 2016] [CMS Press Release 2014] [Ocean Cleanup Press Release] [Ocean Cleanup Website] [IISD RS Summary of ICP-17]