Surfers Invent Floating Trash Bin to Clean Up World’s Oceans

Two Australian surfers are trying to tackle the planet’s water pollution problem head-on, by developing a device that functions as an automated floating trash bin for the world’s oceans.

The device, called the Seabin, can be placed in the water, attached to a floating dock in a marina, and is connected to an onshore water pump. The pump generates a flow of water into the container that collects trash and other debris, according to the inventors.

Plastics and other forms of water pollution have become a big problem, according to the Natural Resource Defense Council. Plastics, in particular, make up a significant portion of the stuff floating around in the world’s oceans; scientists estimate that 4.4 million to 13.2 million (4 million to 12 million metric tons) tons of plastic washed ashore in 2010,Science magazine reported. That is the same weight as more than 435 copies of the Eiffel Tower all stacked together. [In Photos: World’s Most Polluted Places]

The Seabin’s inventors, Pete Ceglinski and Andrew Turton, met through their mutual love of water sports, according to the project’s Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign, which wrapped up in January. Eight years ago, Turton came up with the idea to create a rubbish bin for the water, Ceglinski told Live Science in an email.