The Ocean Strainer is a series of low-cost (~$6,000), floating trash traps installed in the canals of Sri Lanka. The first was installed in August 2020 in the Dehiwala canal in Colombo and MAS is excited to share that 9 traps are now in operation! Some have been implemented through MAS and its partners while others have been obtained through the open source technology.
Understanding that 80% of the plastic that reaches the ocean comes from rivers and canals, MAS found it crucial to address the marine plastic issue at the source by trapping and removing plastic before it reaches the ocean. Each Ocean Strainer is a 130-ft wide buoyant barrier that floats on the length of a canal blocking plastic from reaching the ocean through the canal mouth. The waste is then collected daily and the plastic becomes recycled PET.
The volume of collected waste from the first trap diverted approximately 67,450 kilograms (148,767 lbs) between August 2020 – September 2021.
The Ocean Strainer is an easy-to-manage solution preventing plastic from entering the oceans. The materials are easy to source and the design is simple enough that any workman can create it. By making the technology open-source MAS is hoping other organizations and partners will replicate this solution in their countries. Working on a private-public partnership model, MAS will be extending this solution across the canal network in Sri Lanka, as well as other countries they operate in such as India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Vietnam, Mexico, and Honduras.
The program also employs a resident of the community who lives along the canal and equips them with the tools and safety gear required to collect and remove the waste daily. Funded by a local partner, the local municipality supports the project by collecting and sending possible waste for recycling and disposing the remaining waste, which has disintegrated beyond use.
MAS has gone even further with plastic collection to repurpose the collected waste into rPET polyester. This brings new life to the waste in the manufacturing process. In 2019 and 2021 the Sri Lanka Cricket ICC World Cup jerseys were made out of polyester made from recycled PET.
This is just one initiative MAS Holdings has implemented to improve the planet, positively impact lives, and create innovative products.
