Dutch prototype clean-up boom brings Pacific plastics solution a step closer

If tests of the 100 metre-long barrier that collects rubbish on the sea's surface are successful, it could be deployed at a larger scale in the 'great Pacific garbage patch'A bid to clear the Pacific of its plastic debris has moved a step closer with the launch of the biggest prototype clean-up boom yet by the Dutch environment minister at a port in The Hague. On Thursday the 100 metre-long barrier will be towed 12 miles (20km) out to sea for a year of sensor-monitored tests, before being scaled up for real-life trials off the Japanese coast at the end of next year. Continue reading...