In the 19th century, Joseph Bazalgette solved London's sanitation crisis with a sewer network. His logic was clear: tackle the problem at its source. Today, the challenge is ocean plastic pollution. Following his reasoning, action should not focus only on cleaning seas, but on intercepting waste before it reaches them, through rivers.
Autonomous Interceptors at Key Estuaries 🚧
The proposal is based on a global monitoring and capture system. The 100 rivers with the highest plastic load would be identified. At their estuaries, autonomous collection nets would be installed, powered by solar or hydrokinetic energy. These structures, similar to smart dikes, would filter and retain solid waste, allowing normal passage of water and aquatic life. The goal is to capture a high percentage of the flow.
The Great Stink 2.0: This Time It Comes in Microbits 🐟
Bazalgette was lucky that his enemy, the Great Stink, was evident to all senses. Our modern version is more treacherous: invisible to the naked eye until it integrates into the food chain. Perhaps we need rivers to return message-in-a-bottle pleas for help written by the fish so that, finally, we take note of the problem at its source.