Static Charge Filtration

Our microplastic filtration screens are made from a polimere material that emits a low level of electrostatic charge (like that of rubbing a comb on your head).  The screens are loaded with dry sand and plastic, and through a back-and-forth motion (demonstrated in the above video) users manually filter the sand through the screen. The screen has a 0.7 millimeter mesh, but because of the low static charge, it catches material down to 50 micrometers.

We discovered that this low level of static charge will bond even to microplastic particles that can’t be seen in the sand (15 – 50 microns in size). Surprisingly, there is a lot more microplastic at this micro-scale in the sand than anyone realized. It is also toxic to the environment.

Focus on the Wrack Line

About 90 percent of plastic is found in the top few centimeters of sand along the wrack line, that ribbon of debris where the high tide line stops. By focusing our clean-up efforts in these high-density areas, we can make a big difference. With the help of volunteers like you, we can improve the health and safety of our local beaches.

“We take a rack line full of microplastics, and we turn it into pristine, clean sand. We leave the beach in a much, much better state.”  

– Founder and inventor, Marc Ward

Follow the Ocean Currents

Marine plastic follows ocean currents. It makes landfall at the same location, over and over again. There is no need to chase the materials up and down the beach for hundreds of miles. By focusing our efforts on sites where there is continuous, high-density microplastic landfall, we can have a real impact.

Our goal is to filter every high-density microplastic landfall site on earth.

We are identifying these sites around the globe so that many people can start focusing on these areas. As long as we keep removing microplastics from beaches, we are, in effect, filtering the ocean. We can literally remove tons and tons of this material from the marine system every year.

With enough volunteers, it could be possible to clean up the plastic each year.

Volunteers together, from Oregon to Indonesia to Africa, can have an impact on the marine system as a whole. Learn more about the Blue Wave Microplastic Debris Recovery Program in Oregon, and how to start a clean-up effort in your local area.