Nishinomiya City installs “Seabin” to capture plastic waste in the ocean

“Ethical&SEA,” an organic select shop brand run by Flag Co., Ltd., and Select Co., Ltd. have decided to install Nishinomiya City’s first marine debris collecting device, “Seabin,” at Windward Ocean Club.

Nishinomiya, in Hyogo Prefecture, is Japan’s first Environmental Learning City and will be celebrating its 20th anniversary with this distinction next year. The city has been actively promoting environmental education by teaching children the topics including the importance of using reusable bags instead of plastic bags and biodiversity conservation.

A ceremony was held to celebrate the achievement of their crowdfunding project to install Seabins, and to encourage the commitment of the city to solving ocean plastic waste issues.

Seabins can skim trash, microplastics and even oil

Seabin, an ocean garbage bin that works like a fish tank filtration device, collects approximately 3.9kg of debris per day and 1.4 tons per year. What makes the device special is that it is capable of skimming not only plastic waste but also microplastics down to 2mm small, surface oil and pollutants. Seabins are also sustainable because the running cost of each is $3 a day, and it is made from recyclable material.

This excellent debris collecting device was invented in Australia in 2014, and 860 of them are currently collecting debris in 39 countries and regions from Asia to Europe. The most suitable environment to install Seabin is calm waters such as marinas, yacht clubs and ports.

Ocean plastic waste will outweigh all ocean fish in 30 years

According to UNESCO, 8 to 10 million tons of plastic escape into the ocean each year. In the last ten years, more plastic products have been produced than in the previous century combined, and it is expected that plastic will likely outweigh all the fish in the sea by 2050.

Under the severe circumstance, Japan, the second in plastic waste emission in the world as of 2022, is gradually moving forward to reduce plastic waste by requiring stores to charge for plastic bags and obliging businesses to reduce the use of certain types of plastic items such as cutleries, straws and amenities. However, there are very few noticeable initiatives in Japan to collect waste that has already escaped into the ocean like the Seabin project.

Unfortunately, few Seabins can be found in Japan and the project is not widely known compared to other countries. However, innovators ranging from university students to large companies have installed Seabins at bays such as Uraga Boat Park (Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture), Hakkeijima Sea Paradise (Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture) and Tokyo Yumenoshima Marina (Koto Ward, Tokyo).

Japan’s responsibility as an island surrounded by sea

Seabin was born from an idea: “If we can have rubbish bins on land, then why not have them in the ocean?” Japan is known as one of the cleanest countries in the world because people do not often litter on the street but put the trash into trash bins or take it home. If we can take care of trash on land, why can’t we do the same for the ocean? The installation of the device is not just for cleaning the ocean but also for raising awareness of how much we can do to protect the beautiful marine environment. Japan has a distinct responsibility for it as an island surrounded by sea.