Robot Islands And Subs To Soak Up The Ocean's Plastic?

[Eclipse Now]

Hi all,

some time ago treehugger was discussing floating islands constructed from the very plastic they were sent out to collect and process. The islands would gradually grow, built from a more sustainable, less toxic incarnation of the hydrocarbons recycled out of the very rubbish they were collecting. I'm wondering if anyone thinks this will happen, and what it will look like? (I'm gathering information for a young adult sci-fi I'm writing). 


 

[Kelzan]

Would such an island be stable? Many plastics degrade over time in contact with UV.

Is there a solution to this?

[Gregb]

Would such an island be stable? Many plastics degrade over time in contact with UV.

Is there a solution to this?

Indeed most of the plastic in the oceans are small particles. It's a mush of plastic.

[Eclipse Now]

That's right: most is tiny. While there are some larger items that float around, I'm imagining advanced (Sci-Fi) little tentacles that reach out and 'sniff' whether something is plankton or plastic. If plastic, tiny suckers attach to it and 'eat' it, gradually bringing it into the central mass of the island.

 

Sadly, all of this is moot. The plastic out in the deep oceans is nasty, and might hurt some whales and some islands that have rare birds like the Albatros breeding on Midway. But in reality, most of the damage is done by the time the plastic reaches the gyres. Most of the coastal and sea-life is harmed on the borders of our continents, not in deep waters.

 

But there are also other plans for catching the plastic, involving anchoring nets and letting the currents swim the garbage to us, minimising on the energy required to 'fish' the plastic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljrbtYlku-k