WOSUP

WOSUP

It is estimated that at least 5 million tons of waste are dumped into the Oceans every year, the majority (80%) originating in cities, because of a poor solid waste management. Unlike organic materials, plastic never "disappears" in nature and accumulates in the environment, mainly in the oceans. Sunlight, salt water and waves fragment plastics into ever smaller pieces. This type of material is one of the main pollutants of the oceans.

Several studies have pointed out the pollution generated by microplastics as one of the main health risk factors. Among the problems related to intoxication by persistent organic pollutants (POPs), there are several types of hormonal, immunological, neurological and reproductive disorders. Similarly, plastics can contain bisphenols, which are known as endocrine disruptors very harmful to the environment and public health.

The project WOSUP - Weed Out Single Use Plastic aims to improve the quality of life of marine species and the cleaning of the oceans, since it intends to remove waste from them, more precisely by removing plastic and its derivatives. This objective will be achieved by the integration and processing of satellite images; the development of algorithms for the detection of types of plastic in the oceans and the generation of operational reports and optimized waste collection routes, promoting the rapid and sequential collection of waste for later, be reused or recycled.