Plastic in our waters is one of the larger environmental problems we face as a society. As hydraulic engineers, we are very aware of this every day when we are at work on and around the water. As a Technical Partner of The Great Bubble Barrier®, we have been making the case together against plastics pollution in our waters for several years.

What is The Great Bubble Barrier©?
The Great Bubble Barrier stops plastic pollution in rivers and canals before it reaches our oceans. They do this through the following four pillars:

• Removing plastic pollution from waterways through the Bubble Barrier.
• Ensuring sustainable processing of captured plastic.
• Monitoring plastic pollution in waterways to support policy development and additional measures.
• Create awareness to prevent plastic pollution.

How does The Great Bubble Barrier© work?
The Bubble Barrier is the first technology to use a bubble screen to capture plastic pollution in rivers. Over the past 7 years, they have developed the most effective and energy-efficient solution to capture and remove plastic without impeding the passage of fish or shipping.

Van den Herik has actively contributed to the development of the technology, methods and equipment needed to properly install and keep the bubble screen in place at the bottom of a river or canal.

They create a bubble screen by pumping air through a perforated tube located at the bottom of a river. This bubble screen creates an upward flow that carries waste to the surface. By placing the bubble screen diagonally in the waterway, the natural flow of the river is cleverly used. This drives the waste to the collection system at the bank. The collection system is designed to work in harmony with the bubble screen to collect and retain plastic waste. The waste will then be removed from the water for processing.