SOLUTIONS

Initiatives being carried out around the world

We strive to highlight all the experiences and solutions that we learn of. An exponential impact requires knowing each other, sharing, hybridizing and scaling.

Companies, NGOs, technology centers, universities, governments and organized/unorganized civil society. Together we are a global HUB of shared knowledge and experiences, accelerating the clean-up and conservation of freshwater ecosystems.

Entities that provide ecosystem solutions can request free support from the Hub to achieve a greater positive impact in the shortest possible time.

4ocean Project Guatemala 4ocean is expanding cleanup operations into one of the most plastic-polluted regions of the world: Central America. From the operational base in Puerto Barrios, 4ocean can ork with local communities to change plastic consumption habits; recover millions of pounds of ocean plastic and harmful marine debris, and test key river cleaning technology.	Ran Marine Technology WasteShark Hoping to eliminate some of the multi-million tons of plastic in our oceans, the Danish company RanMarine Technology has developed an aquadrone that sucks up garbage from the water. It’s called the WasteShark, and it can “eat” up to 200 liters of trash in one trip.	The Ocean Cleanup The Interceptor The Ocean Cleanup develops advanced technologies to rid the oceans of plastic. Solving it requires a combination of closing the source and cleaning up what has already accumulated in the ocean and doesn’t go away by itself.
Blue Ebro and waste collection prototype This group has developed a prototype in collaboration with the UPC. (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – BarcelonaTECH) The goal of this system is to collect floating debris of all sizes, without interfering with the kayak’s standard navigation. The system is only activated by the kayaker when trash can be seen, and it is then stored alongside the boat during high-performance navigation when no waste is in sight.	Farm Road Rain Garden The University of Kentucky’s Main Lexington Campus is considered a small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (sMS4) and, as a result, is permitted by Kentucky’s Department for Environmental Protection to discharge stormwater to waters of the Commonwealth	Allegheny River & Watershed Clean-up Since 2005, almost 4,700 volunteers have donated more than 35,500 hours and have removed about 820 cubic yards of trash from the watershed. They have pulled out television sets; microwave ovens; lawn chairs; refrigerators; 55-gallon drums; more than 16,782 tires and more than 147,000 pounds of recyclable metal. Countless bags have been filled with recyclable metal, glass, plastic and aluminum.
Living Lands and Waters River Cleanups Since 1998, Living Lands & Waters has worked on 24 rivers in 21 states and has hosted 1,145 community-based cleanups. LL&W hosts dozens of community river cleanups each year to help watershed conservation efforts with the assistance of thousands of volunteers.	The Great Bubble Barrier We create a bubble screen by pumping air through a tube with holes in it, which is located on the bottom of the waterway. The Bubble Barrier creates an upwards thrust, which brings waste to the surface of the water. By placing it diagonally in the waterway, the Bubble Barrier uses the natural current to guide the plastic to the catchment system at the riverside. Both ships as fish can pass the Bubble Barrier, but plastic will be stopped.	H2OPE H2OPE has developed an innovative solution for the collection of waste in aquatic environment, based on the principle of a collector network, capable of retaining wastecirculating along watercourses.After a detailed phase of study, H2OPE locates its waste collectorson strategic points of the waterway, where drifting or semi-submerged objects are likely to accumulate, like a natural dam, before being recovered to integrate the recycling and revalorization process.
Drainage nets The Australian city of Kwinana has designed a simple and cost-effective solution to deal with the discharge of waste from drainage systems. The town has put nets on the outlet of drainage pipes. These nets stop waste and pollutants from leaving the sewers, preventing garbage transported by rain waters from contaminating the town's local water reserve. It is a simple filtering system and it works like a charm.	Self-built floating trash collectors This project that was first launched in the Motagua River, and Guatemala’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources plans to extend it to rivers throughout the country. The main goal is to collect floating trash. After visiting several rivers in Huehuetenango, environmental authorities decided to implement it in the Azul River, a popular tourist destination.	Bandalong Litter Trap Is a floating device installed at strategic locations along waterways to collect and retain floating litter, vegetation and other debris. The system operates silently without any mechanical assistance, capturing and retaining debris ready for removal and disposal. Bandalong Litter Traps are suitable for most waterways wider than 2 metres, including waterways subject to tidal action, rivers, streams, channels and open bodies of water.
Rivercleaning Current solutions include boats with draft systems, net systems or barriers that temporarily close the river’s viability. The river cleaning system is made up of a series of floating devices, positioned diagonally on the course of the river, intercepting plastic waste and transporting it to the river bank, in a special storage area. Low environmental impact, modular and able to adapt to any watercourse.	Urban rivers robot Urban Rivers has developed a robot that collects rubbish from the Chicago River. The robot connects to the internet allowing it to be controlled from anywhere in the world and web users can also make donations to help pay for maintenance costs.	ClearRivers Recycled Island Foundation introduces an all-inclusive approach to marine litter. Although CLEAR RIVERS is new as a brand, the organization benefits from five years of experience in plastic retrieval, recycling and education. In the Netherlands, Belgium and Indonesia, successful projects are already ongoing with Litter Traps, cleanups, education and a range of circular products developed such as Litter Traps, a floating park, furniture, and building materials.
Litter Gitters Coca-Cola is a partner in the 2019 work plan for Proctor Creek, specifically for the Trash Free Waters project along with several other organizations including the City of Atlanta , Groundwork Atlanta and the Environmental Protection Agency. It also floats on waterways but is supported by polyethylene pipes held in place by chains attached to anchors or poles. Collection booms funnel litter through a one-way gate where trash is held until removed.	The DLT Is a cost effective, robust and easily maintained gross pollutant trap. The DLT series is a range of small to medium sized gross pollutant traps that assist in the effective capture and removal of litter and other debris from piped stormwater systems. The units are designed to treat stormwater runoff generated by rain events through to regular, concentrated and extreme events. Designed in Australia and manufactured in Tasmania, the DLT is the result of a collaboration between Syrinx Environment	Mr. Trash Wheel! This innovation intelligently utilize the currents of the river as the main power to turn the water wheel which could bring the trash and debris into its dumpster barge. There is also a solar panel which was installed in order to provide assistance power if the current is not strong enough. This whole process is pretty much self-automated and then Mr. Trash Wheel will be towed away by boat when the dumpster is full! What's make this so awesome is that, all the trash collected would be incinerate
The Canal Cleaner Our approach to jointly solving the problem reflects the contours of the Dutch polder model. Our system builds on a traditional Dutch water technique. A solution that moves as much as 95% of the floating plastic from the water to the shore. REALLY DURABLE The plastic disposal solution is low in power consumption and low maintenance. Installation, adjustment and monitoring can only be arranged within a few hours.	plastic-fischer-banner-img-2 Plastic Fischer creates holistic, social and environmental impact in the most polluted areas in the world. Currently, we operate in India and Indonesia, providing full-time employment for local people who carry out our reliable end-to-end waste management services conscientiously and reliably.	BolinaBooms Our unique Environment Booms are ideal for permanent debris and pollution control at vulnerable sites where a constant risk exists - industrial sites, nature reserves, harbours or marinas, pumping stations, water treatment works, screens, grills, dam spillways etc. Our environment booms are now the toughest of their type with a standard 26 ton material break load.
Blue Barriers Highest collection effectiveness – 100% in standard conditions, 92% in flooding conditions. Tested by University of Florence. Stop also the waste under the water surface. Minimum maintenance required Permanently Solve the issue – designed to resist to any river condition No Impact on River Life No Impact on Navigability	Biomatrix Water By integrating ecology and engineering we deliver solutions which build on the power of nature. We create habitats & improve biodiversity, designing beautiful living waterscapes and natural water quality and wastewater treatment solutions which bring water to life.	Rios Limpios Established by compassionate parents deeply invested in the world their children will inherit, Lalo and Nane initiated Ríos Limpios in response to a distressing incident at their child's school. A toxic skin reaction, caused by polluted water from the river flowing beneath the school, prompted Lalo to orchestrate a river cleanup. Through collective efforts, parents from the school revitalized the once-contaminated river. Ríos Limpios embodies the belief that civil society can achieve the extra
EnviRo-Enhancer. DESMI trash systems utilize proven DESMI booms and tide compensation accessories as an integral part of the system. Performance, simplicity, and durability are the watchwords for the EnviRo-Enhancer. It serves to contain much of the floating surface debris while allowing smaller particles and most naturally occurring materials suspended in the water column to pass through.	The Thames Project The real danger are the microfibers and micoplastics that act as magnets and attract toxic pharmaceutical chemicals which they release inside marine life, possibly humans. We need to expose these dangers to our communities and make them aware about these dangers and inspire them to take action. I have a blog about the hidden plastic in our dinner.	Seabin The V5 Hybrid has been optimised to have the lowest carbon footprint possible in both manufacturing and energy consumption, its not perfect but we are working on it. Depending on the location of the Seabins and technology available, solar, wind, water and wave power may be used. Where available by energy providers, green energy or solar credits may also be used to power the Seabins.
Elastec Trash Elastec manufactures trash and cebris boom for temporaly or permanent projects in calm, protected or open water situations. We manufacture boom in 50 and 100 ft. lengths (or in custom lengths) and various fabrics, float heights, skirt lengths, tensile strengths and buoyancy ratios.	Tecnograbber-deflector Keep the environment free of waste thanks to the new Tecno-Grabber® collection system, is affordable, reliable and easy to install. TecnoConverting Engineering has developed this containment system, made of an ultra-resistant plastic, each unit is capable to stand up to more than 100kg of weight and can be reused. We perform all the appropriate hydraulic calculations to size the deflector screen, made entirely of stainless steel, along with the hydraulic and resistance engineering calculations t	Plastic Whale COME FISHING…. FOR PLASTIC! Fun and sustainable Help make Amsterdam plastic-free with the first plastic fishing company in the world! Plastic fishing has become a very popular activity in Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Jump aboard and we organize an unforgettable experience! The plastic we collect is recycled into furniture and more boats—the same kind of boat we’ll use on our outing.
PortBin TrashTrawl PortBin TrashTrawl collects floating marine waste from rivers. It is based on the same principles as a high current boom system from the oilspill recovery world. It will collect larger volumes of waste cleverly using the river current itself. No external energy needed. It is not hindering boats and other traffic on the river. The waste ends up in a large mesh sack, easily emptied when filled up.	The Recycled Mississippi The Recycled Mississippi expedition aimed to promote public awareness of the need for clean rivers, less landfill waste, and the elimination of single-use plastic containers. Here are some of the Mississippi River legends, a peak into the micro plastic studies happening in the Gulf of Mexico, and a look at some of the numerous river angels that have made our trip all the more special.	S.O.S Ríos Limpios. It is a comprehensive program, which includes short, medium and long term actions. The first measure will begin today, here in the Rio Grande de San Miguel basin, with the extraction of solid waste ”, said the Minister of El Salvador, Fernando López.
Beirut River Forest It is an initiative to connect the Lebanese mountain range with the Mediterranean Sea with a green corridor along the Beirut River. On either side of the river, we will grow trees from native species that will serve as public areas for people to visit, walk, learn about and be around biodiversity, enhancing livability while providing much-needed green infrastructure as an alternative to the carbon-intensive conventional approach. There will be benches and signs explaining the different species	Cleaning rivers Panama Documentary that talks about the re-socialization programs in the prisons of Panama. Ministry of Environment (Government of Panama)	Greenpeace volunteers No, this is not a distant beach. This is happening here in our country. The overproduction and abuse of single-use plastics has led our environment to this situation, and these images are just one example of what is repeated all over the planet: millions of tons of plastic waste entering the oceans every year. It's time for the brands behind this overproduction of packaging to change this maelstrom of plastics. Ask them to remove their fucking plastic:
waste free oceans Waste Free Oceans (WFO) is a non profit foundation whose main goal is to reduce the global impact of marine litter. WFO's operations focus on marine litter clean-ups and “Closing the Loop” projects, where new products are designed and produced from the collected ocean waste. WFO brings to the HUB its strong connections within the European plastics converting and recycling industries and extensive experience in recovering, recycling and reusing of marine plastics.	FreshWater Watch Global project investigating the health of the world’s freshwater ecosystems. The main parameters measured are nutrient concentrations, algal blooms, suspended sediment, bank and in-stream vegetation, hydrological and ecological conditions. It combines an online portal and a mobile app, with collected data visualised in real-time. The team is exploring new microbiological and optical instruments to increase citizen scientist’s capacity to monitor water quality.	VeryNile VeryNile is a youth-led initiative founded in Cairo with the aim of cleaning the Nile. It has removed 57 tons of garbage from the Nile with the help of more than 4,600 volunteers. IVeryNile initiated the 'Reviving Cairo Fishermen' project, which aims to empower community through an environmental process of collecting recyclables from the water, compensating every kilo collected, and transforming and upcycling the recyclables.
Chemolex Our goal is to ensure that our activities in cleaning and greening brings a behavioral change that will address waste disposal from the household level.	SevenCleanSeas Our mission is to preserve the marine environment by ridding the ocean of plastic for good. We exist to clean, conserve, and educate. Our seas and oceans are the most important ecosystem on Earth. We want to help protect all the wonderful life which call them home.	AlphaMERS Floating barrier that uses natural waterflow to arrest trash and plastics. The alignment ensures boat traffic can pass through, while trash gets trapped. This solution is now deployed in eight cities in India and has trapped tens of thousands of tons of trash and plastics. Made with steel and aluminium, this is a very low cost, rugged and heavy duty construction suitable for wide river spans and strong currents.
URBANFILTER project In the URBANFILTER project, the Audi Environmental Foundation and the Technical University of Berlin, Department of Urban Water Management, are developing filters for urban runoff This prevents environmentally harmful substances such as tire wear particles from entering bodies of water Ideal protection thanks to intelligently connecting different data sources	Bubble Curtain using Bubble Tubing® Technology Our Bubble Tubing® technology creates a natural barrier made of bubble. The Bubble Tubing® is placed at the bottom of the waterway and the upward movement of the bubble catches the plastic waste not only at the surface, but also the ones caught in between waters and redirect the plastic waste into a collection unit. Our technology allows the passage of fish, boat and the oxygen released by the tubing improve water quality.	BioGardeners In 2004, ACEPESA executed an eco-sanitation project to capture rainwater; and collect, treat and apply human urine as a nutrient recovery agent; treatment and reuse of wastewater artificial wetlands; placement of low flow toilets and solid waste management. Bioplanters are a system to treat the gray and soapy water of houses, so that they can be reused.
Man that Cleans Rivers in India Childhood polio victim, 69-year-old N. S. Rajappan, collects plastics from the Meenachil River in Kerala, India.	AWA - The soap that cleans the rivers After a two-year investigation together with a great team of engineers, chemists and biologists, ANDEA found a unique microorganism capable of generating probiotics that feed on pollutants in the river.	Natural Cork Islands Natural Cork Island present a innovative and friendly floating system with perennial aquatic plants that act as wetlands, for all types of water (rivers, wastelands, agricultural effluents, swamps, ponds, etc.), and act as green infrastructures for connectivity, water depuration & filtering, landscape restoration, biodiversity promotion (flora, aquatic fauna and birds), fodder for cattle and wild animals, animal refugee, polinization and biosecurity elements in ponds.
Sungai Watch We are on a mission to protect and restore Indonesia’s rivers by developing and designing simple technologies to stop the flow of plastic pollution from going into the ocean.	River Recycle RiverRecycle delivers river cleaning as a free service. This financially sustainable solution addresses the ocean plastic pollution problem at its source. By installing river cleaning and waste management technology on the banks of the most polluted rivers, RiverRecycle prevents plastic waste from spilling into the ocean. This holistic approach supports the local economy by providing fair employment, improves the environment and living conditions of hosting communities, and offers a long-term so	Everwave In our mission, we rely on a combination of active and passive clean-up technologies for rivers, through which we prevent litter from entering the oceans. Due to their functional architecture, the floating platforms continuously pick up and store rubbish drifting with the current.
Protect our Rivers We work to protect and preserve natural river ecosystems—through active conservation and education. Our organization is built upon three distinct areas of impact that work together to improve the rivers in our country.	Cleaning Wetland With Nanobubbles They capture viruses and bacteria and carry them to the surface. 💧🦠 The Global Freshwater Challenge is offering a total of 1.75M CHF in co-financing from HCL to 10 innovative start-ups. Submit your solution for restoring and protecting the world's freshwater ecosystems on UpLink: