The Great Bubble Barrier : One Aquatic Pollution Solution

As the problem of discarded plastic polluting our ocean grows year on year and with no solutions forthcoming to prevent it, many communities are taking it upon themselves to retrieve what debris and waste they can from their own waterways.  

In the maritime municipality of Katwijk, South Holland, a group of scientists, inventors and anti-pollution activists have teamed up to produce a novel contraption they say may be capable of capturing up to 90% of plastic pollution in the Oude Rijn River before it enters the sea.

Using an innovate device dubbed the Great Bubble Barrier, compressed air is pushed from a 120-metre underwater pipe to form a curtain of air bubbles in the river. The bubbles force pieces of loose plastic and debris to the surface where they are collected further downstream.

The Coast Busters Foundation was formed in Katwijk in 2019 when Claar-els van Delft began categorizing plastic waste and noticed it was made up of debris carried downstream. 4 years later, they run a number of interactive projects including trash fishing aboard kayaks!

The early success of the bubble barrier device has led to similar trials elsewhere in Netherlands. The government pledged funding to develop the device and fine tune the technique. The Rijnland Water Board supports the clean-up efforts, investing €42,000 annually to manage it.

In tests, the bubble barrier does not impact marine life or alter the watercourse. This is monitored closely. Low impact, eco friendly and manageable, the barrier seems to tick all the boxes. It’s not the only innovate pioneering pollution solution for waterways:

Not every piece of plastic will be captured. Microplastics may escape the bubbles and waste may be blown over the barrier in high winds and find its way to the sea. Deep harbours may not be good candidates for the device, nor murky conduits in regular need of dredging.

Watercourses vary across the world, from huge shallow deltas to deep narrow canals. The levels and type of plastic pollution varies too. Local solutions are required for different channels and, used in conjunction, may offer us a way back from the oceans floating garbage patches.

The Great Barrier Bubble is just one small answer to an enormous problem. The best solution remains reducing the number of plastics consumed and discarded, education on the fate of hard plastics in our environment and access to free recycling for all kinds of consumer goods.

Utilising safe air bubbles to push plastic waste to the surface is a step forward in pollution management. Governments should embrace these innovations and fund development at a grass roots level. Who has more vested interest in the health of the waterways than the locals?