While at school, 19-year-old Boyan Slat launched a project that analysed the size and amount of plastic particles in the ocean’s garbage patches. After winning a prize or two for his final paper, he developed the concept further and revealed it several months later at TEDxDelft 2012.
He has gone on to found The Ocean Cleanup Foundation, a non-profit organization which is responsible for the development of his proposed technologies, with his ingenious solution potentially saving hundreds of thousands of aquatic animals annually and reducing pollutants that build up in the food chain. It could also save millions of dollars per year, both in clean-up costs, lost tourism and damage to marine vessels.To find out more about the project and to contribute, click here.