ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS — The Ocean Cleanup, a Dutch non-profit organization developing technologies to rid the world's oceans of plastic, is ramping up production of its Interceptor, an autonomous system that removes plastic waste from rivers.<br /><br />On Thursday, Dec. 10, the organization announced a partnership with Konecranes, a Finnish company that produces lifting equipment. <br /><br />Konecranes will handle manufacturing, installation and maintenance of the Interceptor with local partners. The company is already building two interceptors at its MHE-Demag facility in Klang, Malaysia.<br /><br />Ocean Cleanup states on its website that the Interceptor is capable of extracting 50,000 kilograms of trash a day. The organization claims that under optimal conditions, that number could increase to 100,000 kilograms of waste per day.<br /><br />The Ocean Cleanup currently has three Interceptors operating in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Dominican Republic, with a fourth due to launch in Vietnam early next year.<br /><br />Ocean Cleanup has ambitious plans of tackling 1,000 of the world's most polluting rivers by 2025. The organization says it has established that these waterways — which comprise 1 percent of the world's rivers — are responsible for 80 percent of plastic waste present in oceans.
