‘Seabin’ litter collector installed in Plymouth Yacht Haven

A ‘Seabin’ has been installed in the Plymouth Yacht Haven marina in Mount Batten, to remove pieces of floating plastic from the sea.

A Seabin draws water in before pumping it through a fine mesh and collecting the resulting debris, plastics and microplastics from the water. The marina team at Plymouth Yacht Haven will collect the waste from the basket and recycle it.

The device, which is made from fully recycled materials, has the ability to hold up to 20kg of litter at a time, and can capture over 1.4 tons of debris per year.

“Working and living by the water, we see first-hand the impact of marine litter and its effect on marine wildlife around Plymouth”, says Steve Kitchen, marina director at Plymouth Yacht Haven. “Our marina staff took the initiative to introduce more initiatives to make our local environment cleaner and more sustainable for everyone, from litter picking on Mount Batten beach, to this new Seabin installation.”

After being developed in 2016 in Australia, there are now almost 1,000 Seabins worldwide with this bin being the first permanently located in Plymouth.

Plymouth is the UK’s first National Marine Park.

“As residents and businesses, we all share responsibility to keep the waters in Plymouth as clean and biodiverse as possible,” says Kitchen. “The Seabin has a reputation worldwide to help clean up oceans and protect marine wildlife, so it’s great to have this installation at Plymouth Yacht Haven.”

The bin was donated by Plymouth-based dredging specialist, Boskalis Westminster, which also sponsored a Seabin at MDL’s Hythe Marina Village in 2021, as part of the marina chain’s ‘binfrastructure’.

Marine litter is a global problem, which poses an increasing threat to human health and safety. Research led by the University of Plymouth shows that more than 95 per cent of people reported having seen litter when they visited the coast, and such experiences were associated with higher concern and a willingness to adapt personal behaviour to address the problem.

Members of the public are more likely to blame the global marine litter crisis on retailers, industry and government, but place most trust in scientists and environmental groups to develop effective and lasting solutions.

Earlier this year, MIN reported that half of the UK’s litter can be traced to 10 brands, with over one-third coming from drinks companies.

Isobel Loxton from Boskalis Westminster says: “We all agree that we hope to live in a world where devices like the Seabin aren’t necessary. Litter should not be in the ocean in the first place. For now, we’re pleased that we’re able to contribute to reducing the amount of plastics in the water. But, more importantly, we need to work with Plymouth Yacht Haven to use the Seabin to educate those who live, work and visit coastal areas of the importance to protect our oceans.”