'Bubble Barrier' Cleans Plastics Waste from Amsterdam Canal

A company in the Netherlands says it is conducting a two-year trial to remove plastic waste from an Amsterdam canal with, er, bubbles?

The company, The Great Bubble Barrier, says on its website that its mission is to “make rivers free of plastic.” Its product, called the Bubble Barrier, is mounted on the bottom of waterways and produces a stream of air bubbles that guides plastics waste to a collection area. One key advantage is the system’s ability to force underwater waste to the surface, the company says.

The company says its process places a tube diagonally in waterways so the resulting “bubble screen” can use the natural current to direct the waste to the side. Ships and fish can easily cross the barrier, the company notes, adding that the process even increases oxygen levels in the water.

The company said the trial, which began last fall, was commissioned by local water boards and the city government in the Dutch capital as part of an initiative to eliminate plastics from Amsterdam’s canals and waterways.

An earlier trial showed the system was able to collect up to nearly 90% of waste and even extracted microplastics from the water, according to the manufacturer.