Robots and bubble barriers: How Venice and Portugal are tackling ocean plastic

euronews (in English)

Venice’s famous canals are facing a growing pollution problem. Once plastic litter ends up in the water, it becomes incredibly difficult to remove. Why is this plastic so dangerous, and what can be done about it?

Transcript

00:00Venice is a city built on water, but for years its famous canals have been battling a growing

00:10pollution problem. Like in so many coastal areas, plastic litter ends up in the water,

00:15where it's incredibly difficult to remove. Here and across the globe, plastic pollution

00:21is putting natural ecosystems and our own health at risk. But what makes this plastic

00:27so dangerous and what can be done about it?

00:37In Venice's Grand Canal, researchers from Italy's Marine Sciences Institute peer through

00:42the murky depths using a multi-beam sonar, an instrument that maps the seafloor using

00:48acoustic waves.

01:15Smart tires used as docking bumpers by Venetian boats are just one part of the problem. High

01:20tides sweep through Venice's narrow streets, carrying all kinds of waste into the historic

01:25canals, where it either sinks or washes up on beaches. Volunteers work hard to clean

01:30the islands, like here in Murano, but much of the waste remains hidden beneath the waves.

01:58A robot like this one. Fantina Madricardo coordinated the European-funded Maelstrom

02:03project. The team has developed a floating platform that relies on seabed maps and AI-guided

02:09cameras to spot litter on the seabed and retrieve it with remarkable precision.

02:28The patented prototype offers hope for eventually removing tires and other litter polluting

02:36Venetian waters. Until then, the plastics will keep breaking down into tiny fragments.

02:42The research team trails a special net behind their boat, collecting samples that reveal

02:48the full extent of the microplastic problem.

03:16Each year, we unknowingly ingest and inhale tens of thousands of tiny plastic particles.

03:24These microplastics have been detected in human blood, breast milk, and even brains.

03:29They infiltrate our lungs, liver, and other vital organs. Scientists continue to investigate

03:34the full health implications, but evidence of potential harm grows. Laboratory studies

03:40show that some of these microscopic plastics can damage DNA, disrupt hormonal systems,

03:45and may contribute to cancer development.

04:11But how can we rid our seas of microplastics? The Ava River in the Portuguese coastal town

04:16of Vila do Conde faces a double challenge. Plastic pollution and the invasive water hyacinth

04:23plant both threaten the fragile estuary ecosystem. But hope is bubbling up from the riverbed.

04:30The bubble barrier, tested as a part of the same Maelstrom project, creates a curtain

04:34of rising air bubbles across the river. It intercepts plastics and invasive plants before

04:40they reach the ocean, while allowing fish and boats to pass through freely.

05:10It's much easier to intercept these invasive plants covered in microplastic particles in

05:20the river before they reach the ocean. Pilot tests show that the bubble barrier can catch

05:25an impressive 86% of debris flowing downstream, even trapping the smallest pieces of plastic.

05:34Scientists from the University of Porto are now analyzing the bubble barrier's impact

05:39on the estuary's ecosystem.

05:53Municipal services remove the accumulated waste from the collector. The town of Vila

05:58do Conde played an active role in co-designing and co-funding the system. If the barrier

06:04proves effective, the municipality hopes to keep it running permanently and inspire

06:09other coastal towns to follow suit.

06:29The energy used by the air compressor is partially offset by the solar system designed

06:34by the University of Malta.

06:37You don't need to keep it on all the time, because there are times when there's less

06:41flow in the river. If we use it in that way, the amount of energy generated by the panels

06:47will completely offset the energy used by the system, because of course we do want to

06:53collect the plastics, but we don't want to generate CO2 in the process.

06:58The bubble barrier in Portugal and the seabed-cleaning robot in Venice have already retrieved tons

07:03of litter from the waters. But the scientists behind the Maelstrom project emphasize that

07:07cleaning alone isn't enough. They're working with everyone involved, organizing public

07:12beach cleanups, citizen science campaigns and outreach events. From factory owners to

07:18local authorities, from beachgoers to schoolchildren, everyone has a role to play.

07:26We need to continue to work upstream on prevention. We need to continue to try to change attitudes,

07:33concepts, and also to promote awareness and responsible choices. So we need to work with

07:40people, the community, but also with industry.

07:45In the end, the best solution is to prevent plastic from ever reaching our rivers, seas

07:51and oceans.

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