Whirlpool Corporation has launched their first external project to support the reduction of plastic pollution around the coast of Britain, starting in north Somerset.
The 4th June 2019 marks the launch of Whirlpool Corporation’s campaign, in partnership with the installation of a Seabin at Portishead Quays Marina, north Somerset. The aim is to start the roll-out of Seabins around the coast, and this is the very first Whirlpool Corporation Seabin to launch in the UK.
The Seabin at Portishead Quays Marina is designed to collect and store a variety of plastic waste, from bottles to microfibres as tiny as 0.3 mm. A Seabin can catch around 1.5 kg of waste per day, which equates to over 500 kg per year. This means that the Seabin can collect around 90,000 plastic bags and 16,500 one litre, plastic bottles or 33,000, 0.5 litre bottles each year.
The waste is collected in a bag, which stores up to 20 kg of waste. The marina water is sucked through the Seabin, and is then pumped back into the sea. It can operate 24/7/365 with the minimum of effort, while making an effective change to the cleanliness of the sea in the local area.
Ian Moverley, UK Public Affairs Director, Whirlpool Corporation explained: “This is our first LifeGate PlasticLess® Seabin in the UK. We chose north Somerset, as our first location, as this is close to our industrial site at Yate near Bristol, which has over one hundred years of manufacturing history and we are committed to serving communities where our colleagues work and live.
“Local children have also helped to mark the occasion. We introduced the initiative to Portishead Primary School who has a very active plastic waste campaign. The school joined us for the launch to see how the Seabin worked and how it will benefit them, the surrounding beaches and overall the local community. The school has a very keen team of litter pickers and we are hoping that this will contribute to the school’s tremendous effort.”
Councillor David Hall, Somerset County Council lead member for the reduction of single use plastics and climate change initiatives, said: “It’s exciting to see innovative ways of addressing these important issues. This is a great example of technology being used creatively and the kind of thinking that all of us can learn from as we look to play our part in reducing the impact of plastics on our environment.”
At Whirlpool Corporation’s Yate facility they have been zero waste to landfill since 2015, and for over nine years the site has been using reusable mugs in the vending machines. Furthermore, the company’s offices in Peterborough has committed to the eradication of single-use plastic, providing staff with metal water bottles, which is calculated to save 160,000 single-use cups going to landfill annually. In addition, compostable cups for hot drinks have been introduced, at the company’s canteen, saving over 200,000 cups going to landfill each year.
“It is essential we all do our part, and this is a start and a real solution to engage the young ones and adults alike in an effort to reduce the amount of plastic waste reaching the sea. We are committed to support and minimise our environmental footprint, protecting the Earth for future generations. We all know that if we do nothing then our oceans will have more plastic in them than fish by 2050*,” concludes Ian.
Simone Molteni, LifeGate Scientific Director comments: “We are proud to be working with Whirlpool Corporation, a company strongly committed to sustainability and reducing plastic pollution. Whirlpool Corporation has committed to working with LifeGate PlasticLess® in Europe, with 13 Seabins installed around Italy, while this is the first harbour in the UK. This contributes to our overall mission of reducing plastic pollution in the seas around the two countries. We therefore believe, thanks to Whirlpool Corporation, we are on track to achieving important environmental gains, promoting awareness among citizens, and actively engaging in the transition to a PlasticLess future”.