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Seabins are floating trash skimmers that collect floating debris such as macroplastics, microplastics as small as 2mm, microfibers, hydrocarbons, and contaminated organic waste like seaweed.
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The Seabin’s submersible water pump is capable of displacing 25,000 liters per hour.
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The Seabin can catch an estimated 3.9 kgs of floating debris per day or 1.4 tons per year (depending on weather and debris volumes).
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In June, 2021, three Seabins were installed at marinas across Granville Island, including Granville Island Public Dock, Sea Village Marina, and Maritime Market Marina Ltd.
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The Vancouver Plastic Cleanup is a coalition spearheaded by Swim Drink Fish. It was inspired by the Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup, co-founded by Pollution Probe and the Council of Great Lakes Region.
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The catch bags are emptied every day and the waste is sorted into five waste streams each week. Once a month, Swim Drink Fish employees and community science volunteers sort through the waste and conduct an in-depth waste characterization.
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An estimated 30 billion plastic particles are released into Vancouver’s waterways each year.
In 2017, 25,000 microplastics were counted in False Creek in a single reading. An estimated 30 billion microplastics are released into Vancouver's waters each year by water treatment plants, polluting their surrounding watersheds. -
When plastic pollutants make their way into aquatic food webs, they can harm local wildlife.
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Seabins and trash capture devices are part of a three pronged approach to prevent plastics from impacting waters: Plastic Waste Reduction, Increase Waste Management, and Plastic Pollution Cleanup.
