Boosting the global effort to rid our oceans of environmentally harmful debris such as plastic, 3 students from the Diploma in Clean Energy (CER) have invented a floating thrash bin which is able to collect rubbish from the sea autonomously. 

Called the “Sea Trash Collector” the self-sustaining solar-powered device is unique as it focuses on clearing debris within the sea water, as compared to commercially available marine-cleaning vehicles which only collect debris floating on the water surface. 

With the “Sea Trash Collector”, debris in the water is sucked in through the bottom of the device and pumped through a filter which traps the rubbish in a holding compartment.  The filtered water is then discharged through an outlet above the water surface.

An on-board GPS tracking system allows the device to be located or deployed with pin-point accuracy, while a red flashing LED light at the peak acts as a beacon in the sea to alert ships at night.

The project won a Commendation award in the annual Green Wave Environmental Care competition held in December 2018.