EU Horizon 2020 Claim Program: River Trash & Marine Litter Collection System

New Naval, in partnership with HCMR and Minds, has advanced marine litter management through the CLAIM project. The CLEAN TRASH system, developed by NNL, targets river mouths to prevent litter from entering and polluting larger marine environments.

This innovative system features a heavy-duty containment boom with solid cylindrical floats and a subsurface skirt to guide and contain litter. Auxiliary fence booms direct debris to a floating collection cage, which includes three storage chambers for materials as small as 5 mm. The cage’s design incorporates remote-controlled floats for efficient level adjustments and maintenance.

The CLEAN TRASH system represents a major leap forward in environmental protection, offering a tailored solution for various installation environments and significantly reducing marine pollution.

By 2019, a prototype was successfully deployed at the Kifissos river mouth in Athens, capturing an estimated 95-97% of macrolitter (> 5 mm). Following rigorous quality assurance testing, the system proved its readiness for long-term, active operations. It offers a continuous solution for containing and removing marine litter from river mouths and is now available as a commercial product for authorities and stakeholders in marine litter management.