Coastal sweep, river pollution, river plastic, beach cleanup
Environment, Rivers

What is a coastal sweep?

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The Ocean Cleanup’s mission is to remove 90% of all floating plastic from the ocean, but to reach this point several things need to happen:   

  • Legacy pollution in coastal areas must be removed through coastal sweeps.  

Our technological solutions are actively removing plastic from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch as well as some of the world’s most polluted rivers and waterways. These efforts are supported by our global affairs team, who participate in international policy conferences such as the Global Plastics Treaty to shape tangible responses to plastic pollution. 

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The retention zone of our System 03 catching plastic in the GPGP
river plastic pollution, 30-cities
Interceptor 007 in Ballona Creek, LA, stopping trash flowing into the marine environment
Coastal sweep, river pollution, river plastic, beach cleanup
Local stakeholders downstream of the Rio Motagua remove plastic pollution from the Gulf of Honduras during a coastal sweep

But what about the plastic found in coastal areas? 

A large amount of the plastic waste that enters the ocean from land finds itself trapped in near-shore or coastal ecosystems such as beaches, gullies, mangroves, seagrass meadows, and coral reefs. These environments, apart from being critical biodiversity habitats, are directly tied to the health and livelihoods of local communities. Stemming the flow of plastic will help the ocean – but this will not be enough to support the recovery of local wildlife or improve the quality of life of affected inhabitants without removing the plastic already present within the ecosystem. 

Plastic pollution can get trapped in mangrove ecosystems, creating barriers that prevent seawater from moving in and out of the forest, which increases salinity and results in ecosystem degradation
Plastic pollution can get trapped in mangrove ecosystems, creating barriers that prevent seawater from moving in and out of the forest, which increases salinity and results in ecosystem degradation.
Boyan Slat, founder and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup on a polluted beach in Honduras
Boyan Slat, founder and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup on a polluted beach in Honduras

The Coastal Sweep

Coastal sweeps are data-driven cleanups of polluted areas downstream of one of our Interceptor projects. Carried out alongside the local community, these coastal sweeps are intended to remove as much legacy plastic and other waste from the area as possible. 

Our first coastal sweep has taken place over a 55 km stretch of coastline in Guatemala, where local stakeholders downstream of the Rio Motagua are removing plastic pollution from the Gulf of Honduras. Ahead of the initial coastal sweep, we take scans of the area to serve both as a baseline for further monitoring, as well as to identify any pollution hotspots which need to be addressed.   

 

Coastal sweep, river pollution, river plastic, beach cleanup
Local stakeholders downstream of the Rio Motagua remove plastic pollution from the Gulf of Honduras during a coastal sweep
Coastal sweep, river pollution, river plastic, beach cleanup
Local stakeholders downstream of the Rio Motagua remove plastic pollution from the Gulf of Honduras during a coastal sweep
Coastal sweep, river pollution, river plastic, beach cleanup
Local stakeholders downstream of the Rio Motagua remove plastic pollution from the Gulf of Honduras during a coastal sweep
Coastal sweep, river pollution, river plastic, beach cleanup
Local stakeholders downstream of the Rio Motagua remove plastic pollution from the Gulf of Honduras during a coastal sweep
Coastal sweep, river pollution, river plastic, beach cleanup
Local stakeholders downstream of the Rio Motagua remove plastic pollution from the Gulf of Honduras during a coastal sweep

These coastal sweeps are a major step towards restoring the local environment. They re-establish fish nursery habitats, boost coastal tourism, and strengthen natural storm surge defenses. For community members this yields a healthier social, economic, and cultural connection with the ocean. Ongoing monitoring and recurring coastal sweeps will take place to ensure that these areas stay clean, and that plastic already within the coastal environment does not continue its journey towards the ocean and its gyres. 

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Here's how we rid the world’s oceans of plastic