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<\/p>\nToulouse project\u00a0captures eight tonnes of plastic<\/p>\n
\n The barrier was installed on the river Garonne at Blagnac, a suburb of Toulouse, in September last year
\n NIN PATRICE\n <\/p>\n
The success of a floating litter barrier in Toulouse could spawn similar initiatives internationally to stop pollution in rivers reaching the sea.<\/p>\n
The barrier was installed on the river Garonne at Blagnac, a suburb of Toulouse, in September last year and has since collected eight tonnes of plastic. Stretching all the way across the river, it has gates to allow kayaks and canoes to pass.<\/p>\n
How the floating barrier works<\/p>\n
The barrier is fixed via steel cables at an angle to the current, designed to create a vortex in the water. Litter is blocked by a rubber skirt extending 40cm below the waterline. It is then directed via the vortex towards a waste collection point near the riverbank with a capacity of 16m\u00b3.<\/p>\n
There, it is sorted by hand before being recycled through the metropolitan waste management system.<\/p>\n
Patrick Thaunay, co-founder of Plastic Vortex, the company behind the barrier, said: \u201cWe find that 90% of the collected material is made up of wood, algae and other organic matter, but a lot of that is polluted, especially by polystyrene balls, such as those used for insulation or packaging, and so it is not put back in the river.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n Patrick Thaunay
\n Plastic Vortex\n <\/p>\n
\u201cThere were also plastic bottles of all sorts, tyres, cigarette butts and plastic bags \u2013 all kinds of rubbish.\u201d<\/p>\n
Normal winter floods do not affect the barrier. In extreme conditions, it can simply be lifted until the river falls to its usual level.<\/p>\n
Could more barriers be installed in France?<\/p>\n
Installation costs vary according to location, but should be \u20ac200,000-\u20ac600,000.<\/p>\n
The company compares this to the cost of cleaning up beaches in coastal communes.<\/p>\n
Nice, for example, spends \u20ac2million a year keeping its beaches clean.<\/p>\n
Financial support for the initiative came from six national and local authority agencies and two co-operative banks.<\/p>\n
Mr Thaunay estimates that with 31 barriers positioned at strategic locations in France, 70% of floating waste that would otherwise end up in seas could be captured \u2013 equivalent to nine million plastic bottles.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is our primary objective, but convincing local authorities and the government to cough up is a problem, even though the government has a policy of reducing the amount of plastic in the sea,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are also looking for corporate sponsors and partnerships, and hope to be able to announce something soon to let us continue building these barriers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Interest from France and abroad<\/p>\n