A new invention to fight plastic pollution

AMSTERDAM - An invention to tackle canal plastics pollution was one of the highlights of the recent Amsterdam International Water Week.

The instrument, dubbed "the Great Bubble Barrier", is a bubble screen that will remove plastic trash from the canals and therefore prevent it from flowing through to the river IJ and the North Sea. It was made possible by an Amsterdam startup, The Great Bubble Barrier, on behalf of the regional water board and the municipality of Amsterdam.

The first bubbles of the Barrier were visible on Thursday in the Westerdok Canal. A choir sang about bubbles and tens of guests drank alcohol-free bubbles to celebrate the opening.