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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Senay Boztas in Katwijk

‘Incredibly promising’: the bubble barrier extracting plastic from a Dutch river

The Great Bubble Barrier’s concept in operation in Amsterdam.
The Great Bubble Barrier’s concept in operation in Amsterdam. Photograph: The Great Bubble Barrier

Five years ago, Claar-els van Delft began to suspect that plastic waste on the beach at Katwijk in the Netherlands did not come from visitors, or the sea, but from the mouth of a nearby river.

“We started picking up litter and we noticed, near the river entrance, pieces that came from fresh water – all kinds of plastic,” she says. “Tampon sheaths, brush bristles, but also crisp packages, drink packages, everything.”

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