Can innovative projects turn the tide on plastic litter in our seas?

Every single minute, two truckloads of plastic are dumped into rivers and seas across the globe. This huge tide of refuse is having a catastrophic impact. New recycling methods and sustainable alternatives could help to get a grip on the problem. In the western German city of Cologne, an association called KRAKE has brought the first floating litter collector to a German river. The specially-designed construction traps trash floating in the River Rhine, such as sneakers, plastic bottles and plastic pellets. Every time its volunteer workers empty the giant basket, they help to reduce the volume of plastic carried into the North Sea by the Rhine.