The Seabin is a rubbish bin that floats in the water and collects litter, using a sucking mechanism to collect and filter debris in marinas, docks and ports.

If we have rubbish bins on land, why not have them in the oceans? Trying to find an answer to his own question caused Andrew ‘Turtle’ Turtons to team up with fellow boat builder Pete Ceglins and invent a ‘seabin’ – a floating rubbish bin that cleans docks and ports by collecting trash, oil, fuel, detergents and microplastics.

In 2015, the two Australian founders set sail on their self-stated mission: saving the oceans. Temporarily switching out surfboards for a drawing board, they invented the floating rubbish bins that can draw in and collect 1.5 kg debris per day, with a total capacity of 20 kg. A submersive water pump, capable of displacing 25,000 litres per hour, sucks water and floating debris towards the Seabin, which then filters it through a ‘catchbag’, leaving the waste in the seabin to be collected when full.

The Seabin can be purchased online and currently requires an electrical connection to the grid, in order to power the pump that draws water and trash towards the Seabin. The company is aiming to develop a version that uses alternative energy sources such as solar, wave or wind power so the seabins can roam the open oceans as well.

In a year, one seabin is capable of collecting the equivalent of 90,000 plastic bags or 35,700 disposable cups. This can help to address the the ocean waste that grows bigger by a garbage truck every minute. The company recognises the importance of addressing the problem at the source and securing proper waste management.