CLEAR RIVERS
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CLEAR RIVERS works on the prevention, awareness, education, retrieval, and reuse of marine litter.
CLEAR RIVERS is a non-profit organization based in the Netherlands with the mission of tackling plastic waste in waterways worldwide. We stop the diffusion of plastic litter at its source, retrieving it from rivers and ports, before it could enter the seas and oceans. We believe that plastic litter is much more than just waste and we recycle it into valuable and durable objects, enhancing a circul
01/06/2026
🌱 Four Floating Wetland Models Deployed in Can Tho for Water Quality Research
In early May, four floating wetland models developed through the From Waste To Wetlands programme were successfully deployed in Can Tho City, Vietnam.
The research aims to evaluate:
💧 The effectiveness of floating wetlands in supporting water quality improvement in urban canals
♻️ The application of recycled plastic waste as a sustainable material for floating wetland platforms
🌿 The potential of nature-based solutions for ecosystem restoration in the Mekong Delta
The study is being conducted by the Environmental Science Research Team at Can Tho University, under the supervision of Dr. Ngo Thuy Diem Trang.
Field preparation activities included:
• Removing water hyacinths from the research area
• Installing containment barriers to prevent re-infestation
• Deploying floating wetland systems planted with native species, including:
🌿Cyperus alternifolius (Umbrella Sedge)
🌿Echinodorus cordifolius (Creeping Burhead)
🌿Canna generalis (Canna Lily)
Over the coming months, the team will monitor plant growth, platform performance, and water quality indicators to assess the environmental benefits and scalability of this approach.
The project demonstrates how plastic waste recovered from waterways can be transformed into practical infrastructure that supports ecological restoration and sustainable water management.
The From Waste To Wetlands programme is implemented by the Recycled Island Foundation – CLEAR RIVERS, with sponsorship from the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ho Chi Minh City and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO).
In Dordrecht we've concluded another successful pilot with electric propulsion. A propeller engine pushes plastic debris to the (other) side of the canal where our Litter trap can be placed for effective retrieval and removal. In Dordrecht we've tested different engines with different flow speed. The aim of the pilot is to come to a longtime durable solution to stop plastic pollution without disturbing its surroundings and boat-/ship traffic.
In the coming months we will do similar pilots in Delft and Brussels.
Interested if this concept can stop your local plastic pollution issues, please reach out.
26/05/2026
Three new Litter traps are nearing completion and getting ready to be installed in Romania! After previous successful implementations in Oradea and Tinca we're super enthusiastic to install 3 more passive debris collectors in Romania. All 3 Litter Traps will be installed near the Romanian-Hungarian border and will prevent plastic litter from reaching Hungarian waters.
In 2018 we installed our 1st Litter Trap in Brussels. The trap captures plastic litter on a daily basis and is emptied by .brussels 💙
Our floating park, constructed from recycled plastic in 2018, still attracts a lot of birds. Especially in spring, birds enjoy the safe floating greenery to have their offspring.
13/04/2026
We're super happy to announce that we will install 3 more Litter Traps in Romania!
After the successful implementation of 2 Litter Traps in Oradea and Tinca, we're currently preparing the installment of 3 more installations to capture plastic litter in Romanian rivers and to prevent the pollution from further spreading. The Litter Trap production has already started and it will be our pleasure to keep you updated about the placement.
We empty our 4 Litter Traps in Rotterdam on a weekly basis and this what we find
27/01/2026
Congratulations to Evert van Noord for graduating at the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences! Last year we had the great pleasure of having Evert as a gradation student at our office in Rotterdam. Evert explored and optimized the potential of using an electric propeller engine to push plastic litter out of the fairway into our Litter Trap. Evert's conclusion: The new created current pushes 75 to 100% of marine litter towards our Litter Trap!
Thank you Evert! We look forward to extending our collaboration at CLEAR RIVERS.