The CLEAN TRASH system
A marine system developed for cleaning and preventing visible litter (macrolitter) from entering the sea at its source (river mouths) with floating barriers (booms) and a containment system with multiple storage levels. The CLEAN TRASH system (CLAIM’s Litter Entrapping Autonomous Network Tactical Recovery Accumulation System Hellas), is an unparalleled and highly efficient solution to manually managing and removing marine litter from river mouths before the litter can enter into a larger body of water. In this very case the focus is placed on the waters surrounding Piraeus, Greece, where the litter causes negative effects on the marine environments and where plastics break into micro and macro-plastics is dramatically affecting marine life and marine ecosystems.
It can withhold 95 - 97 % of litter in rivers and torrents above 5 mm as we allow intentionally some exit points at the bottom and at the side to facilitate free navigation and fish and marine life movements. The minimum size of the litter that can be withheld from the litter collection system is approx 5 mm – this is defined by the diameter of the metal sieve of the cage which is 5mm.
Components installed in the solution
Multiple floating barriers (booms) and a containment system.
Operational mode
The complex system arrangement utilised multiple, independent guiding boom sections working in tandem with the containment cage system all strategically deployed in a constantly shifting and fluctuating aquatic environment.
Results
The system was installed for 37 days during the period of 11.2.2019 to 19.3.2019 when the system was operationally active in an active arrangement at the river mouth of the Kifissos River in Piraeus, Greece. In this time span, 1,175 kg of waste has been removed in two removals of 525 (on 22.2.2019) and 650 kg (on 19.3.2019) respectively.
| Removal #1 | Removal #2 | |
| Date: | 22.2.2019 | 19.3.2019 |
| Total Weight: | 525 kg | 650 kg |
| Waste Classification Data by Size: | ||
| Size < 100 mm | 214 kg (40.7%) | 196 kg (30.1%) |
| Size 101 – 500 mm | 273 kg (52.0%) | 324 kg (49.9%) |
| Size > 500 mm | 38 kg (7.3%) | 130 kg (20.0%) |
| Waste Classification Data by Type: | ||
| Plastic Bottles | 138 kg (26.2 %) | 128 kg (19.7 %) |
| Plastic (other) | 154 kg (29.3 %) | 291 kg (44.7 %) |
| Styrofoam | 68 kg (12.9 %) | 96 kg (14.8 %) |
| Organic Materials | 87 kg (16.5 %) | 88 kg (13.6 %) |
| Other Debris | 78 kg (15.1 %) | 47 kg (7.2 %) |
The successful integration and operation of the CLEAN TRASH system in the field-testing, specifically the controlled and continuously active removal of marine litter from the selected installation location by utilising the original concepts and innovative design, demonstrated the capabilities and efficiency of the system in a strategic application.
The efficiency of the collection system was proven to be high as reduction of litter within and around the Athens Marina. The area was examined and highlighted by observers, as well as by the management of the Athens Marina. The operational capabilities were outlined in an e-mail NNL received from Athens Marina, outlining the success and the proof that the system did work in the test environment and removed marine litter. The results show a decrease of marine litter and a decline of clutter that beforehand would have entered into the marina, resulting in a diminished environment and an operational cost for the marine.