Australian clean-tech startup Seabin will open operations in Los Angeles. As part of Seabin’s 100 Smarter Cities For Cleaner Oceans campaign, Marina Del Rey in Los Angeles has been selected as the first of three planned locations in the L.A. region.

The first city pilot, located in Sydney, Australia, is already operating with five full-time employees, 40 community volunteers and a broad portfolio of corporate sponsors.

The Seabin unit is a “trash skimmer” designed to be installed in the water of marinas, yacht clubs, ports and any water body with a calm environment. The unit moves up and down with the tide, collecting all floating rubbish and skimming the surface of the water by pumping water into the device. A single Seabin unit can intercept floating debris, macro- and microplastics and even microfibers, and a single unit can catch 1.4 tons of floating debris per year. The Seabin was recognized as one of the best inventions of 2018 by Time Magazine. 

The expansion to L.A. is part of the startup’s vision of having an engaged presence in 100 cities around the world. Local team members will proactively work with the community, researchers and corporations to obtain data and support policy making and new legislation at the local, state, federal and international levels to address the problem both in the water and on the ground. 

The Marina Del Rey – L.A. city pilot will create up to five full-time employment positions over a three-year term, and cleanup expectations are estimated at 54 tons of microplastics, plastic fibers and other items over the three-year period.

Rather than lobby and pitch for financial support from the city, Seabin is launching a GoFundMe page to take action and start cleaning now. Currently, Seabin has an estimated $150,000 pledged from American and multinational corporations.

The Seabin L.A. GoFundMe campaign finishes on June 8, World Oceans Day. The official city launch in Marina Del Rey will occur in July 2022.

For more information, visit Seabin’s GoFundMe or visit seabinproject.com, and follow The Seabin Project on Instagram @seabin_project.