British band Coldplay wants to clean our rivers.
Although they have yet to perform in Malaysia, they intend to treat the country to something even greater – by sponsoring a watercraft that removes plastic trash from our rivers.
According to Bernama, the band has long been proponents of green initiatives and is now looking to stop garbage from reaching the ocean with the Interceptor 005, a machine built by Dutch non-profit organisation The Ocean Cleanup
the Interceptor 005, a machine built by Dutch non-profit organisation The Ocean Cleanup
“Without action, there could be more plastic than fish in the oceans by 2050, which is why The Ocean Cleanup’s work is so vital. We’re proud to sponsor Interceptor 005 which will catch thousands of tons of waste before it reaches the ocean,” a statement Bernama quoted.
According to Republic World, Coldplay introduced the initiative which would use a tool named Neon Moon 1, which is a river interceptor. The tool would catch plastic and other types of waste thrown in the river before it reaches the ocean.
In the video, Coldplay announced that the project would be starting from Malaysia, soon. It showed that around 1000 rivers in the world are responsible for emitting 80% of plastic waste into the oceans. The Ocean Cleanup would help in removing the waste causing problems to the ocean’s ecosystems. The project will be starting in Malaysia then move to Indonesia, U.S.A, Dominican Republic, Thailand, Vietnam and Jamaica. They plan to eradicate 90% of the waste reaching the oceans by 2040.
This will be the second Interceptor to be deployed to Malaysia after the first one was received in August 2019 and placed in the Klang River. This latest interceptor is locally-built in partnership with Finnish firm, Konecranes at their MHE-Demag facility in Bukit Raja, Klang and is expected to catch up to 100 tonnes of trash, especially plastics, daily.
The second Interceptor to be deployed to Malaysia after the first one was received in August 2019 and placed in the Klang River
Also known in production as Neon Moon 1, the Interceptor 005 which is currently under construction will be completed in mid-2021 and will commence operations soon after.
According to the Ocean Cleanup founder and CEO Boyan Slat, plastic waste in the ocean eventually travels to ocean garbage patches where debris naturally accumulates in a vortex of circulating currents. Since plastic wastes can stay in the slow-moving whirlpools for years, lack of action to prevent pollution will increase the adverse impact on the ecosystems, health and economies.
Coldplay is no stranger to caring for the environment, in 2019, they told BBC they have put plans to tour their new album on hold, due to concerns over the environmental impact of concerts.
Coldplay is no stranger to caring for the environment
“We’re not touring this album. We’re taking time over the next year or two, to work out how our tour can not only be sustainable [but] how can it be actively beneficial,” frontman Chris Martin told BBC News.
