Collection-Only Projects — Deep Research Dossier
These projects collect but don't process — they bring plastic to shore. Every collector benefits from at-sea processing. They are natural beneficiaries, not competitors.
4ocean (USA)
| Detail | Value |
|---|
| Founded | January 2017, Boca Raton, Florida |
| Founders | Alex Schulze & Andrew Cooper (surfers, inspired by Bali plastic crisis) |
| Type | For-profit Public Benefit Corporation (PBC) |
| Model | Bracelet sales (~$20 each) → "5 Pounds Promise" per product |
| Revenue | ~$10–11M/yr online |
| Employees | 250–500 estimated |
| B Corp | Certified (score: 80.1 vs median 50.9) |
Collection Milestones
| Date | Cumulative |
|---|
| Sep 2018 | 1M lbs |
| Jun 2023 | 30M lbs |
| Nov 2024 | 40M lbs |
| Feb 2026 | 50M+ lbs (claimed) |
Fleet
- 4 panga vessels (22 ft each) — Caribbean/Central America
- 135-foot Ocean Plastic Recovery (OPR) Vessel — excavator barge, booms
- Operating: Florida, Haiti, Guatemala, Bali
Processing
Collected waste sorted by type/color. Recyclable: shredded into bracelet cord. Non-recyclable: waste-to-energy or landfill.
Criticism
- For-profit structure draws persistent skepticism
- Greenwashing allegations (Medium article re: PBAT phone cases)
- Cost-per-pound criticism at original $20/1lb ratio (now $20/5lbs)
- No FTC enforcement action found
Seabin Project (Australia)
| Detail | Value |
|---|
| Founded | 2015 by Pete Ceglinski & Andrew Turton (surfers, Byron Bay) |
| Type | For-profit + Seabin Foundation (nonprofit arm) |
| Crowdfunding | US$260,000+ on Indiegogo (2015) |
| Total raised | ~$1.66M (Crunchbase) |
| Units deployed | ~1,800+ in 52 countries |
The Device
| Spec | Value |
|---|
| Flow rate | 25,000–55,000 L/hr |
| Daily catch | ~4 kg average |
| Annual per unit | ~1.4 tonnes |
| Minimum size | 2mm |
| Operating cost | <$3/day |
| Price | $3,300–4,000/unit |
Fixed-point automated floating skimmer for
marinas and sheltered harbors only — cannot address open-ocean plastic.
Independent Review (Marine Pollution Bulletin)
- 58 litter items/day — inferior to manual cleaning
- Marine organism bycatch: 1 organism per 3.6 litter items, ~13/day, half dead on retrieval
- Conclusion: "of minimal benefit" at study location
Pivot
Stopped direct hardware sales. Pivoted to data-driven service model with recurring 3-year contracts. Selling pollution data, not just devices.
Ocean Voyages Institute
| Detail | Value |
|---|
| Founded | 1979, Sausalito, California |
| Founder/CEO | Mary T. Crowley |
| Type | 501(c)(3) nonprofit |
| Vessel | S/V KWAI — 43m sailing cargo vessel (ketch-rigged, built 1950 Germany) |
The GPS Tracker Innovation
$1,600 satellite trackers attached to ghost nets by passing vessels. Trackers transmit location via satellite. KWAI dispatches to collect. One tagged net typically leads to many more within ~15 miles (ocean sorting effect).
Results — All from Great Pacific Garbage Patch
| Year | Tonnes |
|---|
| 2019 | 40 |
| 2020 | 170 (record for largest open-ocean cleanup) |
| 2021 | 96 |
| Cumulative | 385+ tonnes (850,000+ lbs) from 10 mid-ocean voyages |
Material is primarily
ghost nets/derelict fishing gear and consumer plastics.
Funding
Donation-dependent. Precarious — 2020 second voyage "almost didn't happen" due to funding gap. Charity Navigator: 76% (Three-Star).
Delinquent with California state registrations — donations disabled on Charity Navigator.
Clearbot (Hong Kong)
| Detail | Value |
|---|
| Founded | 2019 by Sidhant Gupta & Utkarsh Goel (University of Hong Kong) |
| Type | Startup |
| Funding | Seed round ~$4M valuation (Sep 2022) |
| Investors | Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund, Gobi Partners, CarbonX, Global Acceleration Academy |
| Partners | Microsoft (Azure), NVIDIA (Jetson), MIT Solve |
Technology — Autonomous Solar-Powered Boats
| Model | Capacity | Battery |
|---|
| Class 1 (small) | 500 kg | 2 hours |
| Neo (medium) | 1 tonne/day | 8 hours |
| Class 3 (large) | 200 kg/hr, 1.5t cargo | — |
AI system: Two-camera detection, classifies each piece (type, material, size, weight), geotagged. Built on NVIDIA Jetson + Microsoft Azure. 50-person crew can manage ~150 autonomous boats (vs 15–20 manual).
Deployments
13 boats across Hong Kong, India (Meghalaya, Bengaluru), Thailand. 50+ tonnes aggregate (unverified). Key pitch:
the data is more valuable than the physical collection — geotagged waste classification enables source-tracking.
Summary
| Org | Founded | Type | Total Collected | Method | Funding |
|---|
| 4ocean | 2017 | For-profit PBC | 40–50M lbs | Manual boats + OPR vessel | Product sales (~$10M/yr) |
| Seabin | 2015 | For-profit + Foundation | ~1.4t/unit/year | Fixed-point floating skimmer | $1.66M raised |
| Ocean Voyages | 1979 | 501(c)(3) | 385+ tonnes | GPS-tracked ghost nets + sailing vessel | Donations (precarious) |
| Clearbot | 2019 | Startup | 50+ tonnes | Autonomous AI boats | Seed ($4M valuation) |