Invented by two Aussie surfers, the Seabin is pretty much exactly what you think: It’s a large flowerpot-shaped container that captures everything from plastic bottles, bags and utensils, as well as trash as small as 2mm. A pump at the bottom of the bin sucks in water and rubbish, which are then separated by a mesh unit inside. The water is then released, while the trash is recycled.

The Seabins are fitted around marinas and coasts, trapping rubbish before it can make its way into the ocean proper. According to the Seabin website, each bin can catch 90,000 plastic bags a year, nearly 36,000 disposable cups, 16,500 plastic bottles and 166,500 plastic utensils. There are over 700 Seabins located around the world, with many concentrated along the coasts of European countries.

Referred to as the “Wall-E of the water,” the WasteShark created by Dutch company RanMarine is an aquadrone that sucks up garbage from the water.

It collects everything from floating trash, plastic and even microplastic. It has sensors that measure everything from pH, nitrate, water salinity and chloride. Once the trash is collected, the aquadrone delivers it to the collection point.

According to the U.N., less than one-10th of plastic produced gets recycled. However, one U.K. company has come up with an ingenious way of dealing with types of plastic that are “unrecyclable”— before they even make it into our waters.

Rather than let many types of plastic get sent to landfills, be incinerated or exported, Recycling Technologies has come up with another solution: melt it, and then turn it into an oil that can then be turned into everything from new packaging to wax for waterproofing, product surface coating and more. Another innovation that has a profound impact on plastic was created by accident. Back in April 2018, scientists announced that they inadvertently created an enzyme called PETase that can break polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastics down to its original chemicals.

PET, which is used to make packaging by the food and drink industry, is extremely hard to break down into a state that would allow it to be recycled and made into other high-quality plastic products.

However, with the discovery of PETase, it is hoped the recycling loop can be closed so that old PET products get recycled into products of the same high-quality.

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【码头】mǎtóu marina a waterside facility that has docks, moorings, supplies, and other facilities for small boats

【无意中】wúyì zhōng inadvertently without intention, accidentally

由两名澳洲冲浪者发明的海上垃圾桶Seabin和你猜想的差不多：它是一个花盆状的大容器，可以捕获塑料瓶、塑料袋和各种用具，包括2毫米那么小的垃圾。垃圾桶底部的泵可以吸进水和垃圾，内部的网面会将它们分离。水被放掉，垃圾被回收。

海上垃圾桶被安装在码头和海岸周围，在垃圾进入内海之前就把垃圾截住。据Seabin官网介绍，每个垃圾桶每年可以捕获9万个塑料袋、近3.6万个一次性杯子、16500个塑料瓶和166500个塑料用具。世界各地共有700多个海上垃圾桶，许多都集中在欧洲国家的海岸沿线。

绰号“水中瓦力”的垃圾鲨鱼由荷兰公司RanMarine制造，是从海水中吸走垃圾的水下无人机。垃圾鲨鱼可以收集从漂浮物到塑料的各种垃圾，甚至可以吸进塑料微粒。

它的传感器可以测量酸碱度、硝酸盐、盐度、氯化物等各种指标。一旦垃圾装满，就把垃圾送到收集点。

根据联合国的数据，得到回收的塑料产品还不到十分之一。但是，一家英国公司想出了一种巧妙的办法来处理“不可回收”的塑料，甚至是在这些塑料进入海洋之前。

“回收技术”公司不是将多种垃圾送去垃圾填埋场、焚烧或出口，而是想出了另一种解决办法：将垃圾熔化提炼出一种油，并用这种油做成新包装、防水蜡、产品表面涂层等各种产品。

这项对塑料产生深远影响的创新技术的出现完全是偶然。2018年4月，科学家宣布无意间创造出了一种名为PETase的酶，这种酶可以把聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯（PET）塑料分解成原始的化学物质。

用于食品和饮料包装的PET很难分解，从而回收重新制成高质量塑料产品。

然而，随着PETase被发现，塑料包装有望实现循环回收利用，旧的PET产品将能经过回收被重新制成同样高质量的产品。

(Chinadaily.com.cn)