EU Backs Sea Clear 2.0: 8M Euro for Deep-Sea Plastic Cleanup
The EU is backing Sea Clear 2.0, a four-year project starting in 2023, with around 8 million euros from the Horizon Europe program. This initiative aims to tackle marine pollution, building on the success of Sea Clear 1.0.
Sea Clear 2.0 will enhance waste collection technology, enabling dives deeper than before and lifting larger objects. It involves research institutions and companies from the Netherlands, Croatia, and France. The project's goal is to inform political decisions with innovative solutions and engage society through gamified apps.
Last year, approximately half a billion tons of plastic waste entered European seas. The first Sea Clear project successfully used robotics and AI to collect seabed waste. Now, the Hamburg Port Authority is part of a European consortium employing autonomous robots for waste collection. Sea Clear 2.0 seeks to boost the value of collected materials through improved sorting and recycling.
With an 8 million euro investment, Sea Clear 2.0 will run for four years, starting in 2023. It aims to clean the Mediterranean, from surface to depths, and engage society in finding solutions. The project's innovations could significantly reduce plastic waste in European seas and create new value from recycled materials.
