The Ocean Cleanup to complete 100th extraction live from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

The Ocean Cleanup 100th extraction - Catch on deck © The Ocean Cleanup

The Ocean Cleanup is set to reach a milestone of 100 plastic extractions from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

• The Ocean Cleanup marks 100th extraction of plastic pollution from the Pacific Ocean by livestreaming entire cleaning operation from start to finish.
• Occasion brings together supporters, partners, donors and followers as the project readies its cleanup technology for scale-up.
• Founder and CEO Boyan Slat to provide insight on the plans ahead.

Extraction #100, scheduled for 28 or 29 May 2024, will be the first ever to be livestreamed direct from the Pacific Ocean, allowing supporters and partners around the world to see up close how the organization has removed over 385,000 kilograms (nearly 850,000 lbs) of plastic from the GPGP so far - more than double the bare weight of the Statue of Liberty.

The Ocean Cleanup 100th extraction - Catch on aerial view - photo © The Ocean Cleanup

The mission of The Ocean Cleanup is to rid the oceans of plastic. To do this, the non-profit project employs a dual strategy: cleaning up legacy floating plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (the world's largest accumulation of floating plastic), while stopping the flow of plastic from the world's most polluting rivers.

The Ocean Cleanup captured its first plastic (the first 'extraction') in the GPGP in 2019 with System 001, following years of trials and testing with a variety of concepts. Through System 002 and now the larger and more efficient System 03, the organization has consistently improved and optimized operations, and is now preparing to extract plastic trash from the GPGP for the 100th time.

The Ocean Cleanup 100th extraction - Catch on deck - photo © The Ocean Cleanup

Extraction #100 will be an interactive broadcast showing the entire extraction procedure live and in detail, with insight provided by representatives from across The Ocean Cleanup and partners contributing to the operations.

'This is an important milestone in a key year for The Ocean Cleanup.' said Boyan Slat, Founder and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup. 'We've come a long way since our first extraction in 2019. During the 2024 season, with System 03, we aim to demonstrate that we are ready to scale up, and with it, confine the Great Pacific Garbage Patch to the history books.'

The livestream will be hosted on The Ocean Cleanup's YouTube channel and via X. Monitor @theoceancleanup for confirmed timings.