Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions
Plastics Technology

WasteShark

Remediation Strategy
Plastic Type
Invention Category
Used?
Included in analysis?
Location Invented
Year*
Description

Effectiveness or Ecological Impact

Non-peer-reviewed Effectiveness

The WasteShark can collect up to 350 kg of trash at a time (WasteShark, n.d.). Each unit can spend 16 hours a day on waste collection and/or data collection & transmission (WasteShark, n.d.). Each unit has a swim time of about 7-8 hours (Clancy, 2021). The WasteShark collects about a half ton of garbage in a single shift before needing to be recharged and can cover about 7.45 miles in a shift (Clancy, 2021).

References

Chomping down on trash: WasteShark collects marine debris. (2018, November 15). KCI. https://www.kci.com/resources-insights/bluecurrent/chomping-down-on-trash-wasteshark-collects-marine-debris/.; Cook, E. (2019). WasteShark, a garbage-eating drone, now deployed in Dubai after successful tests in the Netherlands. NaturalNews.Com. https://www.naturalnews.com/2019-01-25-wasteshark-a-garbage-eating-drone-now-deployed-in-dubai-after-successful-tests-in-the-netherlands.html; Dormehl, L. (2016, September 14). WasteShark Is an Aquatic Drone With a Taste For Garbage. Digital Trends. https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/drone-wasteshark/; Morjaria, D. (2019). Trash-Eating “Sharks” Are Taking Over Harbors Worldwide. DOGOnews. https://www.dogonews.com/2019/4/8/trash-eating-sharks-are-taking-over-harbors-worldwide
Non-peer-reviewed Effectiveness

Clancy, H. (2021). Meet WasteShark, the aquadrone taking a bite out of plastic waste. Greenbiz. https://www.greenbiz.com/article/meet-wasteshark-aquadrone-taking-bite-out-plastic-waste; WasteShark. (n.d.). Wevolver. Retrieved November 7, 2022, from https://www.wevolver.com/specs/wasteshark

 

* Year designates the year invented; if the year invented was unavailable, the earliest year that an article about the technology was published was used.