An Australian invention aimed to reduce marine pollution is set to go global after becoming a viral sensation, attracting more than 120 million views online.
Inventors and water-enthusiasts, Pete Ceglinski and Andrew Turton quit their jobs to come up with a sustainable solution, and succeeded by designing an automated rubbish bin with an electric pump for marina docks.
The Seabin sucks in any floating materials such as plastic, also drawing out oil and petrol.
The duo took a prototype to Mallorca, Spain (a marina capitol of Europe) after gathering help from seed investors Shark Mitigation Systems.
In late December the crowdfunding campaign for Seabin had raised $50,000, and that number has now jumped to more than $300,000.
Mr Ceglinski, speaking to the ABC had said that the worldwide response to the Seabin had been overwhelming.
“It’s been absolutely amazing,” he said.
“It was really slow for about three-and-a-half weeks or so and then my telephone started going crazy.
“We started to make $20,000 a day, and then all of sudden the video went viral, it was incredible.
“I was getting about four emails every minute, the Discovery Channel is coming over from America at the end of the month and CNN ran the story.”
He said the attention had at first been overwhelming.
“It’s freaked both of us out, … it’s been a real eye-opener for two guys that have come from nothing,” Mr Ceglinski said.
“I’ve been in the office 22 hours a day, it’s been our life for the last 45 days.
“I think probably every marina in the world somehow called or emailed me. People from Japan, Korea, Maldives, Bora Bora. People from marinas without oceans even, just on lakes in eastern Europe.
“I’ve only just started sleeping. We have absolutely been blown away, we knew it was going to be big but we never expected it to go off in such a way.”
The Seabin Project has partnered with New York environmental group Parley for the Oceans, who provide plastic collected from the ocean for consumer products.
The Seabins will use 70 to 80 per cent ocean plastic in their construction.
The duo are now in negotiations with European manufacturers, and are about to commence a solid trial period.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3tjOEtoArg
Via ABC
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