British rockers Coldplay are stepping up their efforts to clean up some of Asia’s dirtiest rivers by sponsoring a second craft that will extract plastic from the water. The group first teamed up with environmental startup The Ocean Cleanup in 2018, sponsoring their Interceptor 005 on Malaysia’s river Klang as the firm tried to tackle the world’s most polluting rivers. Following the success of Coldplay’s Interceptor 005, or ‘Neon Moon I’ in Malaysia, the firm and the band are now deploying a second Interceptor vessel. It is called Interceptor 020, or ‘Neon Moon II’ and will be deployed in the river Cisadane in Jakarta, Indonesia. Boyan Slat, Founder and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup, says: “It’s so exciting for us to have Coldplay on board and to be making such a huge impact together against plastic pollution in Asia”. “We say a massive thanks to Coldplay for their help, and we can’t wait to see Neon Moon II in action and intercepting waste soon”. Interceptor 005, together with Interceptor 002, has formed a central part of The Ocean Cleanup’s operations in the river Klang in Malaysia with over 1 million kilograms prevented from reaching the oceans and has created a cleaner environment for the local community.
