Patje Plastic

In the Doeldock in port of Antwerp, ‘Patje Plastic’ collects floating litter and plastics through a fractionated passive separation, so that these items do not spread further through the waterways.

The installation consists of a floating arm (boom) with a length of 100 m and 2 m height (1.5 m underwater and 0.5 floating), which pushes litter to collection-bins (Fig. 1).

Then, a series of filters separates the larger from the smaller waste (> 2 mm). When the system is full, a warning signal is given to the operators for emptying. For litter collection and disposal, the device should be deployed near a road/ramp, as a crane truck will lift the collection-bins.

‘Patje Plastic’ needs no power supply, since it works on wind, wave, and gravity. The circular design by Dutch company Allseas is made of 75% recycled plastic (© port of Antwerp; © SouPLess, LIFE project).

Fig. 1. Circular plastic catcher: 1) boom, 2) screen between the quay and the catcher, 3) floating frame with two collection cages 4) for large litter and 5) for small litter [1].

More information: Plastic catcher ‘Patje Plastic’

[1] Allseas, 2022, “Life SouPLess Evaluation report (Task DB.2.3): passive system for riverine micro- and macro-plastics removal”, LIFE17 ENV/NL/170339.