The Ocean Cleanup is a non-profit organization developing advanced technologies to rid the oceans of plastic. This initiative was launched a decade ago by Dutch youth in an effort to address the Pacific garbage patch. In this specific concentrated area, huge amounts of plastic from rivers are flowing into the sea. The goal of the nonprofit is to launch a watercraft in each of the world’s most polluted rivers. The ‘Interceptor’ is a semi-autonomous watercraft developed by the Ocean Cleanup to remove plastic from rivers before it flows into the ocean. Such innovation will catch the plastic along the river’s course, where it is much easier to extract. The Ocean Cleanup now employs 100 engineers and researchers and has plans to depollute the dirtiest rivers, especially in Vietnam, the United States, Jamaica, and Thailand.

The Ocean Cleanup just got a rockstar partner. Coldplay is sponsoring the newest ‘Interceptor,’ nicknamed New Moon 1. Chris Martin, the lead singer of Coldplay stated, “Without action, there could be more plastic than fish in the oceans by 2050. We’re proud to sponsor Interceptor 005 which will catch thousands of tons of waste before it reaches the ocean.” This Interceptor is currently being manufactured by The Ocean Cleanup’s partner, Konecranes, in their Malaysia facility, for deployment this spring.

The Interceptors are solar-powered barges with an internet connection to allow researchers to gather performance and collection data. Further, the onboard dumpsters automatically notify
operators when they become full. They are being deployed all over the world. The first one was launched in 2019 in the Klang River in Kuala Lumpar, one of the most polluted rivers. The second watercraft is located in the Cengkareng Drain in Jakarta and extracts 220,000 pounds of trash per day. The third Inceptor is operating in the Rio Ozama in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

There is a sense of mutual respect between Coldplay and the CEO of The Ocean Cleanup, Boyan Slat. Slat stated, “I’ve long admired the work of Coldplay. They are doing great things to promote a better environment and they are world-renowned for these efforts…and the reach of their voice is immense.” Not only does Coldplay use their voice to make beautiful music, but they are also using it to raise awareness and address the impacts of pollution.