SodaStream Just Launched a Device To Help Clean Plastics From the Ocean
SodaStream, the at-home soda maker, recently became the first commercial company to attempt a physical cleanup of ocean plastics, Treehugger reported. And this is no small effort, but rather a global attempt to make the world a better place for us all.
In October, SodaStream CEO Daniel Birnbaum introduced a contraption known as the “Holy Turtle” in Roatan, Honduras. According to Business Insider, the Holy Turtle is designed to capture trash floating in the ocean.
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The device attaches to two boats and forms a U-shape, sucking up plastic as it moves through the water. There are several large holes at the bottom of the Holy Turtle, which allow for marine life to escape out as it collects plastic waste. The Holy Turtle, Birnbaum estimated to Business Insider, can collect 20 tons of trash in one round. Half of the garbage the device collects is plastic, Birnbaum added, and most of the plastic collected comes from bottles.
The device, which SodaStream developed it in partnership with American Boon & Barrier Corporation, was designed to mimic oil spill containment systems. And really, this kind of environmental effort should come as little surprise, especially from a company who has called out Coca-Cola for its part in our plastic pollution crisis in the past.
While the device may sound like a Godsend, Birnbaum explained that this, nor any device, is really enough. Instead, he’s simply hoping to use it as an educational tool for the public.
"It's not about the collection. No one can collect enough," Birnbaum told Business Insider. "The amount of trash that is being pumped into the ocean regularly, every minute, is greater than what we can ever collect."
He added: "Humanity is fighting for its existence. We could be the dinosaurs of this generation."
For now, SodaStream’s $1 million device will remain in Honduras, where locals are being trained on how to use it on their own. And, because the company decided not to patent the technology behind it, more people can use the product designs to make their own Holy Turtles and clean up the oceans around their homes as well.
