Rivers

Interceptor 020: Cisadane Deployment Begins Expansion In Indonesia

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Interceptor 020, The Ocean Cleanup’s second deployment in Indonesia, aims to stop up to 1000 tons of trash flowing down the Cisadane into the Java Sea every year. This deployment follows the success of Interceptor 001 in Jakarta and continues our work to reduce ocean plastic pollution in Indonesia and throughout South East Asia.

The Ocean Cleanup’s mission is to rid the world’s oceans of plastic. We believe the fastest way to do this is to tackle the problem with a dual strategy: cleaning up legacy plastic pollution in the ocean and intercepting plastic in rivers that contribute high levels of plastic emissions.

We are continuing to expand our network of Interceptors with our second deployment in Indonesia, in the Cisadane river – Interceptor 020, expected to be in operation by the end of 2023.

Our research indicates that as much as 1000 tons of trash may be leaking from the Cisadane into the Java Sea (river mouth shown in header image) each year. This makes the river a prime candidate for our intervention as well as appearing on our list of 1000 highest emitting rivers. After analyzing river conditions, we have determined that the Interceptor™ Original is the best option for capturing plastic in the Cisadane. This will be the third iteration of the model – known as the Interceptor Original 3.0 – which has already proven successful in Malaysia (Interceptor 005) and the United States (Interceptor 007).

Interceptor 007, USA, Ballona Creek.
Interceptor 007 in Los Angeles County, USA. The Cisadane River will be getting the same technology model.
Cisadane River, Indonesia
Cisadane river from above

This will be the second Interceptor deployed in Indonesia after Interceptor 001, which was deployed in the Cengkareng Drain, Jakarta, in 2018. As we look to solve the plastic pollution problem in the Cisadane with Interceptor 020, we also hope to continue collaborating with local partners to find new ways to prevent plastic pollution in this area, and use our monitoring and data-gathering to benefit upstream interventions from local government and national authorities – working together to create cleaner waterways for people in the local area, and restored oceans for the wider international region.

Interceptor 001 in Cengkareng Drain, Jakarta, Indonesia
The very first Interceptor deployed by The Ocean Cleanup. Interceptor 001 in Cengkareng Drain, Jakarta, Indonesia

Stacey Santoso, CFO of The Ocean Cleanup, signed an agreement confirming the deployment with the Ministry of Public Works and Housing, the Government of Tangerang Regency, the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime and Investment Affairs, and the Dutch Government in Jakarta on 12 May 2023.

Every Interceptor deployment involves working with a variety of local partners, and the deployment of Interceptor 020 involves collaboration with BBWS Cilliwung-Cisadane (as mandator), Tangerang Regency – DLHK (as operator and waste transporter) and Tanjung Burung Waste Bank (as waste sorter). We are also grateful to the Governments of Indonesia and the Netherlands, especially the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime and Investment Affairs, and the Ministry of Public Works and Housing, for helping to facilitate our collaboration at international level and helping us take a further step towards our mission of ridding the oceans of plastic.

The deployment of Interceptor 020 is part of the Global Implementation Partnership with The Coca-Cola Company. We are also thankful for the financial support of True Ventures and ThatGameCompany for enabling us to initiate this project.