The largest cleanup in history

We develop and scale technologies to rid the oceans of plastic

Our cleaning technologies are deployed around the world as we conduct the largest cleanup in history. For over ten years, The Ocean Cleanup has been researching, extracting, and monitoring plastic pollution in oceans and rivers globally – with millions of kilograms removed to date.

A planet-sized problem

Trillions of pieces of plastic pollute our oceans today, and the problem is worsening. This plastic has a devastating impact on marine wildlife and ecosystems. Plastics can persist for many decades, continuously degrading into microplastics. These can be ingested by wildlife and later enter the human food chain. Plastic pollution is a global crisis requiring urgent action.

We aim to clean up 90% of floating ocean plastic pollution by 2040

The Ocean Cleanup is a non-profit organization developing and scaling technologies to rid the oceans of plastic. To achieve this objective, we use a dual strategy: intercepting plastic in rivers to cut the inflow of pollution, and cleaning up what has already accumulated in the ocean and won’t go away by itself. When the oceans are clean, we can put ourselves out of business.

The latest news

Join the cleanup

Our aim is to remove 90 % of floating ocean plastic by 2040. With your help we can work towards a future where plastic no longer pollutes our oceans.

The Ocean Cleanup is a bold idea to confront the significant challenge of restoring our ocean ecosystem. This is a unique opportunity to profoundly impact our environment, pursuing an ambitious solution to remove plastic waste from our oceans with significant benefits for wildlife, the food chain and community health.

Mary Reemst, Chair, Macquarie Group Foundation

Looks cool

Elon Musk

We are your big fans and admirers, and we are so happy that we got to partner with you on Interceptor 005, which we refer to as Neon Moon 1

Chris Martin, Coldplay

The first real plan to try to clean things up.

NBC Nightly News

I believe [The Ocean Cleanup] will find a way.

Oprah Winfrey

With Boyan's innovative leadership, I believe The Ocean Cleanup will have an incredibly positive impact on the future of our oceans. I hope other leaders will join us in supporting these efforts.

Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce

[The Ocean Cleanup's] success could significantly reduce marine animals fatalities and enable numerous marine species [...] to survive

Ocean Elders

An incredible proposal

George Takei, Actor and Activist

A symbol of not only preaching, but also acting.

Neelie Kroes, Former European Commissioner

In order to keep 7.5 billion of us alive and prosperous and healthy, it takes work and it takes initiative. [...] That's what The Ocean Cleanup is all about and we absolutely need their work.

Chris Hadfield, Astronaut - Commander of Expedition 35

Congratulations on the success so far. [...] I am really inspired by the work you guys continue to do.

Kelly Slater, Professional Surfer

What is interesting to see [...] is that you are using nature to solve the mess we are doing on this planet.

André Borschberg, Co-founder of the Solar Impulse project

[...] there is no doubt that your efforts will truly have lasting, positive impact on our local and international communities.

Governor Gavin Newsom, State of California

Boyan Slat is inspiring people, organizations and governments to find solutions to the escalating threat of plastic debris in our oceans, while also serving as a reminder to us all that more work needs to be done [...]

Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director

Partners

Thanks to our partners we can clean the oceans.