More and more plastic waste is floating in our rivers, oceans and seas. This plastic soup is a global problem which cannot be ignored. With the Shoreliner we can catch floating debris so that it does not end up in the sea. The ‘trapped’ plastic waste is then recycled. Because the wind blows the waste into the ‘trap’, better water quality can be achieved more sustainably (energy based on wind and water currents). The data collected during the capture, measurement and sorting of the floating waste can then be used to gather and share knowledge and to shape policy around the plastic soup problem.
The Shoreliner is a perfect example of an effective solution to a contemporary sustainability issue. TAUW designed and realized the Shoreliner in collaboration with TenCate Geosynthetics, Dow Chemical and JP Schilder BV. From the first pilot in 2016 for the Port of Rotterdam, the Shoreliner has been further developed and optimized. In 2019 it won the prize of Most Sustainable Port Project in Rotterdam. Now this solution concept enables international cooperation between TAUW countries and is suitable for many different markets, customers and situations. In 2020 TAUW was appointed to carry out a feasibility study for applying the Shoreliner technology in the Taranto area in Italy. This is a very important and challenging project for TAUW due to specific characteristics of Taranto, a city with a significant industrial past that is now reshaping its future in a sustainable way. Other possible market opportunities for the Shoreliner solution are being evaluated in different TAUW countries.
