ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS — The Ocean Cleanup, a Dutch non-profit organization developing technologies to rid the world's oceans of plastic, is ramping up production of its Interceptor, an autonomous system that removes plastic waste from rivers.
On Thursday, Dec. 10, the organization announced a partnership with Konecranes, a Finnish company that produces lifting equipment.
Konecranes will handle manufacturing, installation and maintenance of the Interceptor with local partners. The company is already building two interceptors at its MHE-Demag facility in Klang, Malaysia.
Ocean Cleanup states on its website that the Interceptor is capable of extracting 50,000 kilograms of trash a day. The organization claims that under optimal conditions, that number could increase to 100,000 kilograms of waste per day.
The Ocean Cleanup currently has three Interceptors operating in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Dominican Republic, with a fourth due to launch in Vietnam early next year.
Ocean Cleanup has ambitious plans of tackling 1,000 of the world's most polluting rivers by 2025. The organization says it has established that these waterways — which comprise 1 percent of the world's rivers — are responsible for 80 percent of plastic waste present in oceans.
