Founded in 2015 by Andrew Turton and Pete Ceglinski, Seabin Project was first conceived as a potential answer to the long-standing question “What do we do about all the junk in the ocean?” Over 8 million tons of rubbish makes its way into the ocean annually, with an estimated 5.25 trillion tons circulating overall.
Just as rubbish bins collect waste on land, the creation of a water based equivalent seemed like an obvious solution. Within a year of the organisation’s founding, the first prototypes of what would come to be known as the “Seabin” were developed and installed alongside ports and marinas in the Mediterranean. As of 2022, over 860 Seabins are operational in more than 53 countries around the world.
By pumping the water around it, the Seabin is able to collect waste from the ocean’s surface such as floating debris, microplastics and even oil. The device has gone through multiple iterations aimed at improving its efficiency and ecological sustainability, with the Seabin V5 capable of collecting up to 1.4 tons of waste per year, and the Seabin 6.0 being the latest and most advanced model installed in 2022, expected to collect nearly twice as much per annum.
As Seabin Project continues to expand as an organisation so has the scope of their operations. Through its global outreach and partnerships Seabin Foundation also contributes to the assistance of data collection programs, scientific research, educational initiatives and development of new technologies with various projects in each field currently underway.
Seabin Project has earned many awards:
- 2018 Sustainability Award Winner – Advance Awards
- 2018 Social Impact Award Winner – Good Design Awards
- 2017 Best Initiative in Corporate Social Responsibility Award Winner – Tourism Award of the Balearic Islands
- 2016 Social Impact Award Winner – Good Design Award
Find out more about the work of Seabin Project.
