Every year, more than 8 million tons of plastic pollution ends up in our oceans of which 60-80% originates from rivers. The Great Bubble Barrier has developed a technology which can intercept plastic pollution in rivers before it reaches the ocean.

Every year, more than 8 million tons of plastic pollution ends up in our oceans of which 60-80% originates from rivers. Plastic does not biodegrade and causes great harm to the environment. Marine life gets entangled in plastics, vessels get damaged and microplastics form a health hazard for the smallest to the largest organisms.

In November 2019 The Great Bubble Barrier implemented the first long-term Bubble Barrier in the world in Amsterdam in collaboration with Water Authority Amstel, Gooi and Vecht and gemeente Amsterdam. The bubble curtain is created by pumping air through a perforated tube on the bottom of the waterway. This bubble curtain creates an upward current which directs the plastics to the surface. By placing the Bubble Barrier diagonally in the river, it makes use of the natural flow of the river. This way, the plastic waste will be directed to the side and into a catchment system at the riverbank, where it will be retained and removed from the water.