Dutch Teen's Ocean Cleanup Project Removes 50 Million Kilograms of Plastic

Netherlands, Monday, 23 March 2026.
What started as a 16-year-old’s school project has evolved into a global environmental powerhouse. Boyan Slat’s Ocean Cleanup has already extracted over 50 million kilograms of plastic waste from oceans and rivers worldwide. The organization recently secured its largest donation ever from The Audacious Project to launch the ambitious 30 Cities program, targeting one-third of global river plastic by 2030. With revolutionary technology including autonomous ocean systems and solar-powered river interceptors, Slat’s team proves that teenage determination can tackle planetary-scale problems.