What they cover
The Ocean Cleanup is both a technology organization and a YouTube content creator, documenting their engineering efforts to rid the oceans of plastic. Founded by Boyan Slat at age 18, the organization develops passive collection systems for ocean gyres and river interceptors (the 30 Cities Program) to stop plastic at the source. Their YouTube channel documents engineering challenges, deployments, and cleanup results with high production value.
Why they matter
The Ocean Cleanup has removed over 25 million kg of plastic from oceans and rivers. Their river interceptor program tackles the problem at its source: 1,000 rivers account for approximately 80% of ocean plastic pollution. The combination of engineering innovation and transparent documentation (including failures) makes their channel essential viewing for anyone interested in ocean conservation. Slat's willingness to iterate publicly after early setbacks demonstrates genuine problem-solving.
How to engage
Subscribe to YouTube for project updates. Purchase products from the Ocean Cleanup store (sunglasses made from recovered ocean plastic). Donations fund interceptor deployments. Follow their data dashboards for real-time cleanup metrics.
Start here
Watch the System 03 deployment video showing their largest ocean cleanup system extracting plastic from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, with real-time weight measurements of recovered material.