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Caution against mechanical devices to clear plastic from water

An international group of scientists has cautioned against reliance on mechanical cleanup devices as a means of addressing the plastic pollution crisis. NGI’s technical expert Hans Peter Arp is one of them.

Published 14.11.2023

Image of plastic materials mixed with seaweed along the shore on the Trøndelag coast in Mid-Norway ( Elizabeth Ellenwood in connection with research fellowship at NGI)

A newly published article on the AlphaGalileo website for the research and media communities argues for a more efficient focus related to handling plastic pollution. 

Hans Peter has one quote, saying: The discussions regarding the UN Treaty on Plastic Pollution should focus on lowering the dependence and production of virgin plastic materials, particularly from fossil fuels, and towards zero waste. If the discussions instead focus on creating plastic offset schemes based on plastic removal technologies to offset waste and emissions, the treaty will not be effective at slowing this global crisis.

Turn off the plastic tap ( an installation by Benjamin Von Wong)

You can read the article in AlphaGalileo here.

Portrait of Hans Peter Arp

Hans Peter Arp

Expert Adviser Environmental Chemistry hans.peter.arp@ngi.no
+47 950 20 667