Our Biggest Trash Catch Ever & More: The Ocean Cleanup 2024 in Review

In 2024, we made very solid progress in our mission to rid the world's oceans of plastic. First of all, our total global trash catch from ocean and rivers this year was massive. More than 11,000 tons and still counting. That is more than our impact from all previous years combined. Let's see how we got to this number, starting with our ocean operations. This year, we optimized our operations with System 03 in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. We made it increasingly efficient, reliable and safe for marine life. As a result, we managed a total of 112 extractions. Based on System 03's latest performance, we declared in September that the cleanup of the GPGP is both achievable and affordable. At a cost of seven and a half billion dollars. That's less than the U.S. spends on Halloween decorations each year. Meanwhile, we prevented more trash from entering the oceans in the first place by improving the performance of our existing river interceptors. And we deployed new ones. In Bangkok, our flagship Interceptor Original kicked off the first phase of a multi-year initiative to clean the Chao Phraya and reduce plastic pollution in the Gulf of Thailand. In Jamaica, we've used learnings and data gathered from our first seven deployments to expand our network of interceptors. And in October, we installed Interceptor 15 into Sandy Gully, the largest gully in Kingston. In Guatemala, at the mouth of the Rio Motagua, we launched Interceptor 21, or as we call it, Barricade XL, our largest interceptor to date. This massive barrier is now acting as the last line of defense for the Gulf of Honduras, home to the second largest coral reef in the world. More than ever, this year we saw how our mission can create positive impacts. Not only in terms of intercepted trash, but also by protecting and restoring oceanic, coastal, and riverine environments. Improving the lives and livelihoods of fishing communities and benefiting local residents. Unique collaborations made 2024 even more awesome. Coldplay used some of our Guatemala plastic to manufacture their newest limited edition record, Moon Music. And Kia turned some of our ocean catch into the world's first-ever car product made with plastic from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the limited edition EV3 trunk liner. We are so thrilled to see our long-term partners demonstrating how plastic pollution can be transformed into useful things. And let's not forget, all this progress was built on our fundamental research efforts. In 2024, we continued investing in solving some of the most critical scientific unknowns that exist around the plastic pollution issue in oceans and rivers. And the final word goes to you, all our amazing dedicated followers and supporters for being with us throughout this year. There is still so much to do, and we look ahead to even more impact and success in 2025. Keep following our progress and let's solve this planet-sized problem. Together.