ALL AT SEA APRIL 2021
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THE CHANGING FACE OF MARINAS We have litter bins on land, why not have them in the water too? Enter the Seabin. Bryan Stewart from Inland and Coastal Marina Systems explains how this technology is already making a di eren e in waters, in luding marinas and harbours
DID YOU KNOW? Cigarette butts are the most commonly caught item in the 860 Seabins in use across multiple marinas and harbours worldwide.
A newly installed Seabin
I
t is estimated that eight million tonnes of plastic waste enter the oceans each year. As recreational boaters, we see the effects of this everyday along our shorelines, floating out at sea or building up in the corners of our marinas. With 80 per cent of waterborne waste originating from the land, it is an ongoing battle to keep the waters where we play clean and litter free. But help is at hand.
What is a Seabin?
The Seabin is an award-winning piece of technology which acts as a floating rubbish bin, specifically designed to be installed in marinas, yacht clubs and harbours, or any calm body of water with access to electricity. The Seabin sits in the water and moves up and down with the range of the tide, collecting all floating debris. Water is drawn in from the surface and passes through a fine mesh catch bag inside the Seabin. The submersible water pump is capable of displacing 25,000
A Seabin installed in a marina
litres per hour and plugs directly into either a 110V or 220V outlet. Made from recyclable material, a Seabin will catch floating litter, such as plastic bottles, crisp packets and sweet wrappers, as well as intercepting microfibres and microplastics as small as 2mm in diameter. Easily equipped with oil absorbent pads, the Seabin is also able to absorb petroleum-based surface oils and detergents present in most marinas and harbours around the UK, no matter how careful the operators are.
How well does it perform? A Seabin can catch an estimated 3.9kgs of floating debris per day or 1.4 tons per year (depending on weather and debris volumes), but can cost as little as 80p a day to run. To put this in context, each year a Seabin has the capacity to catch: ■ 90,000 plastic bags ■ 35,700 disposable cups ■ 16,500 plastic bottles ■ 166,500 plastic utensils
Funding opportunities
The Seabin is an essential tool for collecting waterborne waste and creating cleaner marinas for us to enjoy our boating from. Funding opportunities exist for marinas, harbours or watersports centres that wish to improve the quality of their immediate environment, but might lack the capital to do so. Of the many Seabins already installed around the UK and Ireland, approximately 20 per cent have been funded by other businesses or organisations. So, anyone wishing to install a Seabin should seek information about any funding available for environmental initiatives in their area. To find out more about the Seabin, and how you can get involved in helping to clean up your local marine environment, visit inlandandcoastal. com/product/seabin or contact bryan@ inlandandcoastal.com.
Here is a Seabin installed on River Soar
