Great Bubble Barrier hits plastic cleanup milestone, eyes global expansion
27 aug. 2025
16:54
Dutch startup Great Bubble Barrier's river-cleaning device in Amsterdam has snared one million pieces of plastic since its launch in 2019.
The milestone comes as the company gears up to scale across the Dutch capital and internationally, with projects lined up in the UK, US, Germany, and Thailand.
“We really think this should be available wherever it's needed,” co-founder and CTO Philip Ehrhorn tells Impact Loop.
The milestone comes as the company gears up to scale across the Dutch capital and internationally, with projects lined up in the UK, US, Germany, and Thailand.
“We really think this should be available wherever it's needed,” co-founder and CTO Philip Ehrhorn tells Impact Loop.
The Great Bubble Barrier made headlines in 2019 when it was first deployed in Amsterdam to stop plastic waste before it reaches the North Sea.
The system pumps air through perforated tubes laid diagonally across a riverbed, creating a rising curtain of micro-bubbles that lifts plastics and debris to the surface. From there the waste is channeled to a collection device for recycling. Fish and ships pass through unharmed.