Project Kaisei is a nonprofit group of scientists and ocean lovers set up to study the North Pacific Gyre and the plastic debris that has collected in this oceanic region, to determine how to capture it and to study possible processing techniques that would allow the recycling of captured materials into diesel fuel.
With funding for Project Kaisei from the Brussels-based Bureau of International Recycling (BIR), the project launched its first research expedition, comprising two boats, which set sail on Aug. 2nd and 3rd from San Diego and San Francisco.
Project Kaisei will examine the largest area of the Plastic Vortex, an ocean gyre, situated to the North East of Hawaii, and approximately five days by boat from the United States (San Francisco area). The expedition will consist of a large pass through the Plastic Vortex, with the aim to collect and study plastic and other debris forms from the ocean in order to showcase some of the new technologies that will be used for processing and recycling.
"We are very excited to be supporting Project
Kaisei's first research expedition to the North Pacific Gyre," said
Dominique Maguin, BIR President. "The Project Kaisei team has ambitious
plans, which are fully in line with BIR's mission to increase recycling
and recyclability. Our members across the globe are providing industry
with nearly 50% of the raw materials needed, and we can still increase
this figure. The collection of waste can be improved and the recycling
activities are indispensible for saving energy, gas emissions and
natural resources. It is of paramount importance to leave a safe, clean
and welcoming planet for future generations.
"Project Kaisei represents an innovative constructive approach to addressing a problem that would not have been there if recycling had been promoted and implemented by all nations. We believe that by collaborating together it will bring benefits to both of our organizations, as well as for the whole planet."
"Together with the scientific endorsement and ongoing collaboration of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, BIR's sponsorship provides us with the necessary resources to carry out our mission this summer. We hope to be able to come back with answers to the many questions surrounding the large volumes of waste in the ocean, the damage it causes to the ocean ecosystem and the ways to fight it," says Doug Woodring, Project Kaisei's Co-Founder and Project Director.Why is the Plastic Vortex a problem?
Plastics and other wastes in the oceans:
- Can kill marine life;
- May be entering our food chain (studies on this issue will be undertaken by the Project Kaisei Science Team and other researchers);
- Continues to increase due to poor waste management practices on land and sea; and
- Can have a negative effect on people's health and safety.
It is estimated that over 60% of the plastic and other wastes (including rubber and aluminum) in the ocean come from land-based sources, and once in the sea, they are at the mercy of the confluence of tides, currents and winds because they are buoyant. Over time through exposure to the sun and heat, some plastic materials can disintegrate into ever smaller pieces due to weather and UV impact.
