VIA INO21 Challenge 3: Prevent Pollution From Channels Into Oceans

To participate in this challenge it is required that you are a student at VIA University College Engineering and take part in the Innovation weeks in week 5 and 6.

A lot of litter ends up in our oceans and through the channel in Aarhus, it contributes directly to increasing the amounts of litter in the world's oceans.

Production of plastic has exploded in the last 50 years - from 15 million tons in 1964 to 348 million in 2017. If the production continues at this speed, it will be doubled in less than 20 years.

Studies show that every year, 8 million tons of litter are emmitted into the world's oceans. This equals one truckload of litter being emptied into the oceans - per minute! This has fatal consequences and both Danish and international studies show that plastic particles can be found in drinking water, salt, honey, beer and in many animal stomachs.

More than 90% of seaturtles confuse plasticbags for jellyfish and you can find microplastic in fish and seabirds. Plastic pollution is becoming a bigger and bigger threat for humanity and our nature- and marine environment.

Plastic pollution ends up in the oceans through various routes. UN's environment programme and environment organisation, UNEP, estimates in a report from 2016 that, on a global scale, 80% of litter ending up in oceans comes from landbased activities. This includes dump sites, industry, unprocessed waste water and tourism. The remaining 20% comes from activities on water such as fishing, container transport, ferries and cruiseships as well as the offshore industry (oil and gas platforms).

How can a city like Aarhus avoid litter ending up in the channel and thereby the ocean? Or how can we be better at collecting what ends up in the channel so it does not go into the ocean?