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Research on the catch by the bubble barrier has started
23 September 2020
Research into the capture of the Bubble Barrier in the Westerdok in Amsterdam has started. The Bubble Barrier is an air bubble screen developed by The Great Bubble Barrier. It extracts plastic from the Amsterdam canals and thus prevents canal plastic from flowing into the North Sea. Plastic Soup Foundation will research this captured canal plastic on behalf of Waterschap Amstel, Gooi and Vecht.
The plastic that is removed from the water by the Bubble Barrier contains a wealth of information. Plastic Soup Foundation will investigate how much plastic is captured; which items are involved; which brands are common and if the waste can be traced back to the source. Important information to prevent plastic waste in the canals in the future. For example, by talking to producers about alternatives to disposable plastic packaging and a quick introduction of deposits on cans. A ban on certain disposable products and switching to sustainable packaging contributes to the fight against plastic soup.
Why this research?
With the Bubble Barrier as a new tool, Waterschap Amstel, Gooi and Vecht, in collaboration with Amsterdam Plastic Smart City (a program of the municipality of Amsterdam), is looking for a solution for the floating plastic and smaller plastic waste that remains behind in the canal water despite the drijfvuilvissen. The parties involved would like to know how much waste the Bubble Barrier collects on average and what kind of products end up in the collection system. The trial period with the Bubble Barrier lasts three years. The research is aimed at collecting information about the functioning of the Bubble Barrier, and to find out whether a Bubble Barrier should be placed at multiple locations.
Sander Mager, director at Waterschap Amstel, Gooi and Vecht: “plastic in our water is an increasing problem. Also for the work of the water board. It has major effects on the quality of our water, and on everything that lives in or near the water. Precisely for that reason, the water board must cooperate reasonably with others, to make a fist against this huge problem. The Bubble Barrier is an excellent example of this.
Capture leads to solution at the source
The research will map out which waste ends up in the water most often and from which producers or sectors these products originate. In this way, the problem can be tackled at the source, for example, by talking to producers about alternatives to disposable plastic packaging and a rapid introduction of deposits on cans. A ban on certain disposable products and switching to sustainable packaging contributes to the fight against plastic soup.
What does the research look like?
For over a year, with the help of volunteers, waste collected by the Bubble Barrier is dried, sorted and analyzed. The waste is sorted and divided into groups from the so-called OSPAR methodology. The OSPAR methodology has more than 100 groups. Sorting and categorizing provides a wealth of information. We find out how well the Bubble Barrier works and get a good picture of the many sources and forms of plastic pollution and the differences per season.
Coronavirus
Due to the measures taken because of the coronavirus, sorting and research could not be started for a long time. The collected waste has been kept separate for several months now. For a while, there have been very few people in the public space and also large public events such as King’s Day and The Pride got cancelled. Probably these particular influences can also be seen in the research of the collected waste. During the investigation, measures are taken to prevent possible contamination with the coronavirus.
Read more about the Bubble Barrier in the Westerdok.
Photo by: Cynthia van Elk
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