Journeva
Every year, a lot of plastic goes into rivers. Then it goes into the ocean. It is very hard to collect plastic from the sea. So engineers had an idea. They wanted to stop the plastic earlier — in the rivers.
They built small machines. The machines use solar power. They float on the water like little boats. Each machine has a simple barrier. It guides plastic bottles and bags into a basket. It does not hurt fish.
The first machines worked in a busy river near a big city. In one month, they collected many kilograms of plastic. This plastic did not reach the ocean.
The project is interesting because of the idea, not just the technology. Instead of cleaning the whole ocean, the team cleans a few rivers. These rivers carry most of the plastic.
Now the engineers share their plans for free. Other cities can build the same robots. A small robot in a river is good news this year.
