The canals of Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, span more than 100 kilometers and are not immune to plastic pollution. However, a clever invention has arrived in the city to address this issue: “The Great Bubble Barrier,” a technology that creates bubbles in the water to make collecting plastic waste easier.
Resembling a giant hose, the system consists of a 60-meter tube filled with holes through which compressors pump air. The pressure creates bubbles that guide waste from the bottom up, bringing the trash to the surface – where it is collected by a floating platform. Additionally, the tube is positioned diagonally so that the natural current helps channel the waste.
The system works simply and, even better, does not block boat traffic or harm marine life. Developed for rivers and canals, the technology aims to collect waste before it reaches the seas and oceans, including tiny microplastic fragments.
Following successful trials in the IJssel River (also in the Netherlands), the City of Amsterdam and the Regional Water Board have just installed the system in the Westerdok canal. It is expected to operate 24 hours a day for three years.
Annually, boat operations in Amsterdam remove about 42,000 kilograms of floating waste from the city's waterways. With the installation of the barrier, the city administration hopes to significantly reduce this waste.
Created by Dutch founders Anne Marieke Eveleens, Francis Zoet, and Saskia Studer, the invention won the Plastic Free Rivers Marathon and the Postcode Lottery Green Challenge. The latter, which awards the best sustainable entrepreneurship solutions, granted the trio 500,000 euros, which was used to launch the project.
Via CicloVivo.
This article was written by Marcia Sousa. The translation is powered by AI.
