Helistrat partners with Premier Marinas to Tackle Plastic Pollution in the Seas : Seabins Keeping Plastic Waste Out of the Oceans in Port Solent

To help tackle marine plastic waste and raise the profile of The Seabin Project, Portsmouth, UK based environmental consultancy and contract manager, Helistrat, has installed two Seabins in Premier Marinas’s Port Solent and Gosport marinas

The company explained that Seabins are floating rubbish bins, which are located in the water at marinas, docks, yacht clubs and commercial ports. Each bin can collect up to ½ tonne of floating debris per year including microplastics as small as 2mm.

A submersible water pump, capable of displacing 25 litres per hour, sucks water in from the surface. This passes through a catch bag inside the Seabin and is then pumped back into the marina leaving litter and debris trapped inside.

The Seabins are emptied twice a day by Helistrat’s partner, Premier Marinas, which owns and operates nine South Coast marinas including Port Solent and Gosport marinas where the first of Premier’s Seabins have been located.

On retrieval from the water the material from the Seabins’ catch bags is sorted for recycling materials, including plastics, which are sent to reprocessors. Non-recyclable material is used to offset fossil fuels in the production of energy.

“As a business located near some of the UK’s business ports and marinas we wanted to do something to help tackle the global problem of discarded ocean plastic and raise the profile of the innovative The Seabin Project”, said Ben Richardson, Trading Director at Helistrat.

“The only way we are going to eliminate the 10-12 million tonnes of plastic that ends up in our oceans is by not producing this waste in the first place, but until then, we need to find ways to help minimise its impact, remedy the damage done and recycle this material,” he continued.

Graham Bristowe General Manager at Premier’s Port Solent and Gosport marinas commented: “Premier Marinas has long been conscious of the importance of running environmentally friendly marinas and we have efficient waste management and recycling systems in place at each of sites.

“Collecting plastic waste from the water has to date been a question of capturing the waste from a boat. The introduction of Seabins in our marinas is really exciting as we are now able to collect waste more frequently and efficiently.

“We are proud to be part of this initiative and look forward to incorporating more Seabins into our marinas in the future.”

Bianca Carr, Founder of Local campaign group Final Straw Solent added: "we were excited to hear that two seabins are being installed in the local area. We will be working closely with Helistrat to help raise awareness and encourage businesses to also look at ways to protect our local environment and reduce the amount of plastic being produced."

Read More

Good Vibes for Helistrat as Ann Summers Renews Contract

Adult toy and outfit retailer, Ann Summers, has renewed its contract with sustainability management consultancy, Helistrat to continue its waste reduction and recycling programme.

IN DEPTH: Microplastics, the Volvo Ocean Race and the CleanSeas Campaign

The Volvo Ocean Race Science Programme has found the highest levels of microplastics in the South China, UN Environment has published videos on its CleanSeas Campaign and New Zealand has joined.

VIDEO: Short Documentary Series on Plastic Waste in the Oceans

The Plastic Oceans Foundation has published a series of videos explaining how plastic waste gets into the oceans, breaks down into microplastics and enters the food chains.