Catching Up with The Ocean Cleanup

Trying to tie up an entire year at The Ocean Cleanup is an impossible thing, especially in a year with so many monumental projects happening at the same time. Listen as the Executive Producer of Documentary Content, and host of Catching Up, Dan van der Kooy, looks back at some of the conversations he had throughout 2022 with team members from all around the planet.

From Bangkok’s Chao Phraya river, River Surveyor Engineer David Higgins explains how he identifies which rivers can most benefit from our intervention. David shares the emotions he has experienced in his ‘dream job’ with The Ocean Cleanup, reveals how a new river operation takes shape, and shares his personal journey from surfing on the shores of southwest Ireland to intercepting plastic in the world’s most polluting rivers.

Boyan Slat, Founder and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup, describes his contrasting emotions following the first trial of the Interceptor Trashfence in Guatemala. Boyan shares how he takes learnings from disappointments, updates us on The Ocean Cleanup’s progress in the Pacific Ocean over the last year, and reveals how operations to rid our oceans of plastic are ready to be scaled up across the globe.

Direct from the Guatemalan jungle, we catch up with our Head of Creative and Documentary Productions, Florent Beauverd, and ask him why documenting the largest cleanup in history is so important to the future of our planet. Florent also speaks about his background in extreme sports and how he has evolved in building trust through technology and creative multimedia production. 

Director Asia, Steven Paalman, talks about the experience of traveling with Boyan Slat and Team Asia to assist in progressing various river projects and meet key partners in the region. He also shares his views on the importance of maintaining these relationships in a mix of cultures for the future of intercepting trash from some of the most important polluting rivers in Asia.

Alice Collins is the Project Manager for our upcoming Interceptor 007 deployment in Los Angeles County. After a recent globe-straddling trip to visit Interceptor projects in Malaysia and the US, Alice finds a moment to sit down and talk us through what makes this very visible deployment so different.

Ocean Operations Manager Glen Kissack talks about how he juggles the relationship between Maersk Supply Service and The Ocean Cleanup –  both in the office as well as offshore. He also looks back at his offshore career and reflects on his time with ‘Jenny.’

River Field Scientist Thomas Mani and Recycling Manager John Verhoeven answer the tough questions about trash – from how it ends up in a body of water, how we are using a new app to track it, and how we can use waste as a resource in the future. They also share some of their personal experiences and how important it is for them to see the problem first-hand.

Managing Director, Jacob Fonteijne and Director of the Ocean Team, Henk van Dalen look back at another crazy and historic year at The Ocean Cleanup and what it was like to experience it from their perspectives. They also talk about the culture at The Ocean Cleanup and how that relates to keeping the momentum going even through the pandemic.

Senior Partnership Manager Fleur Elverding and Social Media Manager Viktorija Gaizutyte talk about how the #TeamSeas campaign and working with Mr. Beast and Mark Rober has opened the door for an entirely new generation of supporters. We also look back at how “the new normal” has affected social media and partnerships at The Ocean Cleanup and what new and exciting things are coming in 2022.

Talking all things plastic processing, Catch Management Director, Stella van den Berg, walks us through how we will process the plastic we collected during the testing of System 002 in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Processing ocean plastic isn't an easy task, but the knowledge we gain in re-purposing this plastic will be crucial not only for The Ocean Cleanup, but for the planet.