2022 Galleries
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Galleries // 2022 Spark:Fall/Winter Student // TrashBoom
TrashBoom
Winner - Platinum
Competition: Spark:Fall/Winter Student
Designer: Moritz Schulz
Design Type: Product & industrial
Company / Organization / School: Plastic Fischer GmbH / Bergische Universität Wuppertal
Team Members: Moritz Schulz & Karsten Hirsch
The TrashBoom is a floating barrier to catch plastic waste in rivers and prevent it from entering the oceans. Locally-sourced materials enable rapid manufacturing and boost local economies while raising awareness within the society. That saves time, money, and emissions as no shipping is involved. It also increases scalability, making the solution feasible when targeting ultra-low-value plastics and non-recyclables in waterways. Minimized automation and complexity create jobs and ensure easy maintenance and repair. Open-source blueprints allow for re-building and create global impact. From an abstracted perspective, a TrashBoom cuts the plastic inflow of tributaries from mainstreams. That leads to manageable amounts of plastic being stopped and enables optional tracking of its origin. Every TrashBoom system gets built of several elements that form a modular solution for rivers of multiple sizes. The main components are a steel frame & wire mesh acting as fence and PVC pipes & caps acting as floaters. The construction is as low-tech as possible and supported by an open-source blueprint. The TrashBoom is defined and designed as a first-aid treatment for ocean pollution that even privates can execute until society and the economy adapt and reduce plastic use.
