HIPPO, Thailand

HIPPO, Thailand

Story

Thailand is one of the countries contributing to half of the world’s ocean plastic. Chao Phraya river ranks 1st in the country and 15th globally as the top plastic-emitting river. The river transports around 4 million kg of riverine plastic annually, including serious concerns about microplastic pollution in its surface and sediment. 

Given the success in Indonesia, Seven Clean Seas has now expanded in Thailand to address riverine plastic in Thailand’s major river, Chao Phraya. The river is a vital waterway coursing through the heart of Thailand, encompassing Bangkok, Nonthaburi, and Samut Prakan, where plastic waste often finds its way, contributing to environmental degradation, including river pollution.

While we acknowledge the impact of stopping riverine plastic, we also realise that there are unique complexities and financial costs. Hence, we developed the HIPPO (High Impact Plastic Pollution remOval): our automatic, solar-powered, and scalable vessel designed to collect riverine plastic at scale.

This effort further enhances the development of circular solutions from intercepted ocean plastics through to sorting and recycling – hence maintaining the loop.

For this project, Seven Clean Seas is working in collaboration with multiple government stakeholders, as well as The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), as an implementation partner overseeing the successful execution in the local market. We also have established a strong partnership with Wat Chak Daeng, a Thai Buddhist temple renowned for pioneering plastic waste and recycling initiatives. Together, we aspire to scale and elevate innovative waste management projects towards a cleaner, more sustainable future.

How it works

High Impact Plastic Pollution remOver (HIPPO)

HIPPO, Thailand

1
Target
  • The Chao Phraya River, Thailand’s largest and significant waterways, sustains the livelihood of 13 million people through food security, agriculture, fishery, transportation, and cultural activities.
  • Annually, the river transports 4,000,000 million kg of riverine plastic into the ocean.

2
Interception
  • The HIPPO recovers plastic pollution from river systems before it reaches the ocean.
  • It is located in an intertidal zone by the riverbank at the side of Wat Chak Daeng temple.

3
Collection
  • The HIPPO is designed as a single boom that conveys the floating debris towards the vessel, collected automatically with the solar-powered conveyor.
  • Seven Clean Seas crews unload the collected plastic from the HIPPO to be transferred for sorting and recycling.

4
MRF
  • Seven Clean Seas advances its ability to sort and treat plastic waste adequately, separating recyclables from non-recyclables.
  • We turn recyclables into products (e.g., furniture) and turn widely non-recyclable plastic, such as multilayered plastic, into building products like bricks and roof tiles.

Behind the
scenes footage

What can
you do

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