May 23rd, 2018
Ireland’s first two seabins were installed in Dun Laoghaire Harbour this week in a an attempt to tackle plastic pollution.
The operation management of Dun Laoghaire Harbour company, Tim Ryan, said that they are delighted to be part of this exciting project, made possible by an inspirational 11 year-old, Flossie Donnelly.
Speaking at the launch, Flossie, who raised funds for months for the sea bins, shared her belief that the Seabins will make a big difference with the pollution in the sea locally.
“I’m so excited that these seabins are finally being installed and I cannot wait for them to be installed,” she said.
“I really feel when the seabins are in it will make a big difference with the pollution in the sea locally and I love the way that the seabins will not harm any of the fish in their natural habitat and hopefully soon enough in their plastic free habitat! I’m very excited for ‘a plastic free Irish Sea.”
The Seabin Project was created by two Australian surfers, Andrew Turton and Pete Ceglinski, and now are being used widely to clean litter out of ocean.
A submersive water pump sucks water from the surface into the catch bag together with the debris. The seabins are made from recycled material and can collect up to 1.5kg floating debris, such as plastic, oil and fuel, every day.
The Seabin can run for 24 hours a day and is easy to empty. It is installed in the marina on the floating dock which enables the wind and the currents to push debris directly toward the bin.
In general, the bin’s rim will keep fish out, however, if any happen to fall in, they will remain alive in the water and can be released when the bag is emptied.
Nearly eight million tons of plastic waste is estimated to enter the marine environment every year.
Nearly 20 million tons of general waste pollutes waters globally each year, with single-use plastic accounting for around 50 per cent of all the litter in the ocean.
One million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals are also estimated to be killed each year by ingesting or being entangled in plastic waste.
The number of plastic waste in the ocean is expected to double by 2030. If the pollution goes unchallenged it is estimated that by 2050 the ocean will have more plastic than fish by weight.
The Seabin launch has been made possible with the collaboration and support of the Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company, the Dun Laoghaire Marina and Inland and Coastal Marina Systems.
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