PHILADELPHIA — A black canister with yellow filter inside — resembling a cross between a trash can and big pool skimmer — was dunked in the Schuylkill River at Bartram’s Garden park in Philadelphia and emptied daily from May to June to see what it would catch.
But the device, known as a Seabin, wasn’t looking for fish. It was looking for plastic. And it hauled in a bountiful load.
The Seabin, created by an environmentally conscious Australian surfer, sucked 890 pounds of plastic trash from 15 million gallons of water over the 30-day period. Of 66,238 individual pieces collected, 90% were microplastics, or less than the size of a small bead.
