Tech Startup Seven Clean Seas Places River Barriers Against Plastic Pollution!

More than 70% of all ocean plastic enters the ocean via rivers. This makes it crucial to invest in river plastic recovery technology to effectively combat plastic pollution and intercept it before it reaches the ocean and becomes much harder to collect as well as recycle. The problem is particularly significant in countries with high plastic consumption but inadequate waste management, and/or recycling, infrastructure.

One such country, which is also abundant with rivers with ocean access, is Thailand. The country faces significant challenges in managing its domestic plastic waste as only around 25% of the annual 2 million tonnes of plastic waste is recycled. Thus the remaining amounts end up in landfills or even worse are mismanaged and leak into the environment – such as rivers.

To address this issue, Seven Clean Seas has developed an innovative solution called the High-Impact Plastic Recovery Remover (HIPPO). This low-cost and scalable technology serves as a vital tool in mitigating river-based plastic pollution that enters the ocean while running almost solely on renewable energy. With the HIPPO, we aim to significantly reduce plastic waste entering the ocean from the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, and provide a showcase for a cost-efficient technology to be deployed in rivers globally.