A Dubious Cure for Ocean Plastics

You might think that running a giant mechanical rake along the coastline to collect plastic debris would be a really good idea. But it turns out there are a lot of downsides. The process kills dune plants, which accelerates erosion, for example. In fact, beaches that consistently win awards for cleanliness—including some iconic beaches in Malibu, California—are often hurting for biodiversity.

Mechanical rakes, giant sieves, nets, and conveyors are increasingly used by companies and nonprofits around, published in the journal suggests large scale mechanical plastic cleanups largely do more harm than good.