The Ocean Cleanup: hope for our oceans, but at what cost?

Boyan Slat, a young Dutch engineer, was barely 18 years old when he launched his crazy challenge in 2013: to clean the oceans of the plastics that invade them. Today, The Ocean Cleanup has established itself as one of the most emblematic projects in the fight against marine pollution. A project where innovation and hope are combined, but also an immense challenge on the scale of the oceans, where each kilogram of plastic removed seems insufficient compared to the tons of waste dumped every day.

A spectacular initiative, but is it enough?

With its floating barriers, The Ocean Cleanup first hit hard. An innovative concept, based on barriers that capture surface waste carried by currents. Its flagship device, "System 03", deployed in September 2023 in the North Pacific vortex, aims to reduce one of the largest piles of plastic in the world. But the figures are stubborn: around 500 tonnes of waste recovered, barely 0.5% of the estimated 80,000 tonnes in this giant "soup" of plastic.

For Boyan Slat, the dream doesn’t end there. With ten systems running continuously, he hopes to clean up to 80% of this vortex within ten years. But for others, like marine biologist Isabelle Poitou, the underlying problem remains unchanged. “Cleaning the ocean without reducing the flow of plastics into it is like trying to empty the ocean with a spoon,” she says ironically. And yet, the vision of The Ocean Cleanup has opened the world’s eyes to the urgency of action, even if the solution is still far from perfect.

The limits of a fight in the middle of the ocean

Critics point to the overbidding of expensive technological devices, often far from the main sources of pollution. "Nearly 80% of plastics in the ocean come from land," recalls Isabelle Poitou. For these detractors, it would be more relevant to concentrate efforts on river mouths and coastal areas, where waste still has a chance of being intercepted before being scattered at sea. It is in this sense that The Ocean Cleanup has diversified its initiatives, installing collection systems in Jamaica, Guatemala, and Indonesia, to treat plastics at the source.

But for Boyan Slat, we also need to think long term. Because once in the water, large plastics fragment into micro and then nanoplastics, an even more insidious challenge for the oceans and human health. “These are all large pieces of waste that will not become microplastics,” insists Laurent Lebreton, chief scientist of The Ocean Cleanup. These microplastics, invisible to the naked eye, enter the food chain and pose public health problems, complicating the cleanup work.

The age of plastic: between hope and fatalism

So, is The Ocean Cleanup a solution or a drop in the ocean? According to François Galgani, an oceanographer at Ifremer, “technologies are advancing, and every action counts.” But he also calls for a “massive reduction” in plastic production. In 2060, without change, global plastic production could triple, according to the OECD. This is why many NGOs denounce the “greenwashing” of large companies that, while boasting about their recycling programs, continue to produce virgin plastic.

Faced with this uncertain future, Boyan Slat embodies hope, but also the complexity of the task. Like Simon Bernard, founder of Plastic Odyssey, some believe in more local and sustainable solutions. His laboratory boat, for example, aims to raise awareness and equip local communities to recycle plastic on site. A drop in the ocean, perhaps, but every action counts when it comes to fighting against this “plastic age” that our society has yet to learn to tame.

The Ocean Cleanup may not solve the plastics crisis on its own. But every tonne removed is one step closer to oceans where life, not plastic, thrives.