
In 2018, GoPro for a Cause championed The Ocean Cleanup, a non-profit organization with the objective of ridding the world's oceans of plastic. GoPro was there for the launch of The Ocean Cleanup's first ocean cleanup system, which was deployed from San Francisco Bay on a bold mission to clean up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. As of June 3, 2022, The Ocean Cleanup has removed more than 1.2M kg of trash from oceans and rivers worldwide.
And there's much more work to be done. The Ocean Cleanup aims to tackle 1,000 of the world's most polluting rivers in order to reduce the flow of plastic into the ocean.
The latest project is in Guatemala's Rio Motagua basin, where an unnatural phenomenon occurs during each year's rainy season. A trash tsunami propels enormous quantities of plastic into tributaries and rivers, and eventually into the Caribbean Sea. That's up to 20M kg of plastic flowing into the Caribbean Sea-every year.
The situation on the Rio Motagua calls for innovative ideas and a specific solution for a specific problem. The Ocean Cleanup is working with local authorities in the region to improve waste management and to stop the trash tsunami with a new system: the Interceptor Trashfence, which they have named Interceptor 006. On May 26, 2022, the Trashfence was given its first real-world test during the first flash flood of the rainy season.
The Ocean Cleanup crew members Florent Beauverd (Head of Creative and Documentary Productions) and Dan van der Kooy (Executive Producer of Documentary Content) take us behind the scenes to tell us more about this catastrophic yearly event, and what they're doing to stop the flow of plastic into the sea.
GoPro: Tell us about the trash tsunami. What causes it?
The Ocean Cleanup: The Rio Motagua is the largest river in Guatemala, stretching from the highlands in the west down to the Caribbean Sea in the east. What makes the Rio Motagua situation unique is that an urban landfill sits literally on top of one of its tributaries, the Rio Las Vacas. Like many other rivers in the region, the Rio Motagua also suffers from unlicensed waste dumping.
During the rainy season, these factors lead to exceptionally heavy flows of trash-a trash tsunami-flowing into the river every year, adding to the plastic pollution problem in the Caribbean Sea. We estimate that more than 20M kg of plastic flows through the Rio Motagua basin on an annual basis. This amounts to roughly 2% of the world's overall plastic emissions to the oceans.
What is the Interceptor Trashfence?
The Interceptor Trashfence is an experimental system developed to address the specific nature of the pollution problem in the Rio Las Vacas. Its a custom-engineered steel screen measuring a massive 50 meters wide, 8 meters tall and spanning the entire river gorge developed over several years with technical partners and local authorities. In May 2022, we began our first trial of the Interceptor Trashfence on the Rio Las Vacas tributary in the Rio Motagua Basin.
The Interceptor Trashfence faced its first trash tsunami on May 26. Initially the fence held back the torrent of plastic, but ultimately gave way under the heavy force of so much trash. However, we learned a huge amount from this first trial, and we always knew this would be an experimental process. We're going to optimize the design and deployment to improve the system and prevent these trash tsunamis reaching the oceans. For example, we're considering raising the height of the fence and potentially installing more than one Interceptor Trashfence system on the Rio Las Vacas.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by The Ocean Cleanup (@theoceancleanup)
--
Why did you choose GoPro?
For this specific project in Guatemala, we needed to find a way to capture on video an extremely sudden (and unpredictable) flash flood that generates a trash tsunami. Although this location is particularly difficult to get to, we needed to record high-quality footage to show the urgency of this phenomenon to the world, and how we are trying to tackle it. We relied on GoPros for this project for three reasons: simplicity of use, high quality of footage and reliability in all weather conditions.
We've been using GoPros for a wide variety of applications over the years, from getting impossible creative shots allowing us to visualize and share our work in more compelling ways to using GoPros as a scientific tool for gathering data. GoPro cameras have become part of our toolkit for understanding the problem of plastic pollution and visualizing how we solve it.
What's next for The Ocean Cleanup?
To rid the oceans of plastic, we need to clean up what is already out there and stop new plastic from entering the ocean-we need to close the tap. Working together with government leaders, individuals and private corporations, our goal is to tackle the 1,000 most polluting rivers all over the world.
More trash tsunamis will rush through the Rio Motagua throughout the rainy season. We're working with local authorities in the region to improve waste management and we will continue to improve our Interceptor Trashfence system to stop the flow of plastic to the Caribbean Sea.
How can the GoPro Community help The Ocean Cleanup tackle this issue?
Supporters are welcome to learn about our Interceptor Trashfence project in Guatemala by reading this update. You can also track our worldwide impact in real time. And you can donate to The Ocean Cleanup here.
You can learn more about getting involved with GoPro for a Cause here.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
24/07/2026
Referee hat cameras, player/coach mics, and virtual graphics will be deployed at the three-day event for the first time
The NFL FLAG Championships return to ES...
24/07/2026
Qvest, Ateme, and Scaleway have partnered to offer broadcasters, media organizat...
24/07/2026
LTN has completed satellite-to-IP migrations for more than 3,000 broadcaster, MVPD (Multi-Channel Video Programming Distributor), head-end, and content owner si...
24/07/2026
Chyron has released Virtual Placement 8.1, an update to its live sports virtual graphics platform. The release adds workflow and graphics changes across chroma ...
24/07/2026
Riedel's RefCam Live was used for the first time at an international soccer match during a friendly between the German men's national team and Ghana in ...
24/07/2026
USSI Global said it is prepared to help broadcasters, satellite network operators, and media organizations manage the next phase of C-band spectrum clearing, fo...
24/07/2026
FuboTV and The Athletic have launched The Athletic Video Hub on Fubo, bringing The Athletic's sports video content to connected TV (CTV) for the first time....
24/07/2026
Tagboard and Momento have partnered to bring Momento's fan reaction photos to venue videoboards in real time following big plays. The Seattle Mariners will ...
24/07/2026
Stephen Arnold Music (SAM) created an anthem called The World Is Here for Fox ...
24/07/2026
Caz TV has acquired Brazilian broadcast rights to the entire WTA Tour driven by Mercedes-Benz, covering all WTA 250, WTA 500, and WTA 1000 tournaments. The agre...
24/07/2026
SiriusXM and WWE have launched WWE Radio on SiriusXM channel 156, beginning Monday, July 27. The channel will carry live audio of WWE Premium Live Events, audio...
24/07/2026
Harvard Athletics produces more than 325 live NCAA Division 1 sports events and 500 edited videos per year. To manage video capture, streaming, recording, and s...
24/07/2026
Chyron's PRIME 5 graphics platform supported live graphics workflows for NBCUniversal Telemundo's FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage across Telemundo, Univers...
24/07/2026
Wearable tech returns to the coverage, and a brand-new mobile unit is rolled out for the 2026 edition
The 21-stage Tour de France is nearing its conclusion. Th...
24/07/2026
More than 20 cameras, extensive player and coach audio, and a REMCO production model will power coverage of the league's showcase
For an event designed to ...
24/07/2026
New broadcast tool uses live timing, telemetry, and predictive analysis to decode real-time team decision-making for fans at home...
24/07/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...
24/07/2026
First string library captured at Studio Richter Mahr
The latest sample library to be created at Max Richter's Studio Richter Mahr facility captures the ...
24/07/2026
Official emulation of Blackbird Studios reverb chamber
In their latest collaboration with Blackbird Studios, KIT Plugins have captured the sound of the Stud...
24/07/2026
Sohonet's partners at BIND Studio have published a great case study on the V...
24/07/2026
Angela Gomez brings over 14 years of experience in broadcast communications and audio engineering, specialising in live outside broadcasts, live sports and larg...
24/07/2026
Between the maturation of IP and remote production workflows, collegiate sports production is advancing rapidly. For an Ivy League institution like Harvard, kee...
24/07/2026
iWedia, a global provider of software solutions for connected TV devices, today announces the launch of Teatro Factory, a new operator-facing software factory o...
24/07/2026
Yospace, the trusted leader in Dynamic Ad Insertion (DAI), stitched 11.57 billion one-to-one addressable advertisements into live video streams during the 2026 ...
24/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
24/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
24/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
24/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
24/07/2026
Current DASDEC software enables customers to comply with the FCC's new 15-character password mandate without requiring updates
LYNDONVILLE, N.Y. July 23,...
24/07/2026
At the IBC2026 Show, SDVI will give European media organizations their first hands-on look at the next-generation Rally media supply chain management platform f...
24/07/2026
Sonnet Technologies at IBC2026
Brie Clayton July 23, 2026
0 Comments
Hero image: Sonnet Twin25G T5 Thunderbolt 5 Adapter
At this year's IBC Sho...
24/07/2026
Musora Enhances Online Music Lessons with Blackmagic Design
Brie Clayton July 23, 2026
0 Comments
Director of Production Josh Holliday details workflo...
24/07/2026
Interview with Production 360. Original article published here
The theme of thi...
24/07/2026
Article courtesy of postPerspective
Read the article
While Toy Story 5 maintai...
24/07/2026
Kerry and Mayo fans Up For The Match as excitement builds in Croke Park on the e...
23/07/2026
Staines-upon-Thames, UK, 23rd, JULY, 2026 - Yospace, the trusted leader in Dynamic Ad Insertion (DAI), stitched 11.57 billion one-to-one addressable advertisem...
23/07/2026
This Spring 2026 graduate from Honolulu found a home at SoonerVision as a live-production star and is ready to enter the industry as a replay op on Prime Video&...
23/07/2026
As the AUSL postseason begins tonight, listening in to players during games enhances fan engagement for the young organization
Ballplayers chatting with announ...
23/07/2026
Snap Inc. and the Esports Foundation have announced Snap's activations at the Esports World Cup 2026 in Paris, running July 6 through August 23. For the fir...
23/07/2026
Sony has announced the FX5, a full-frame Cinema Line camera built around a newly developed fully stacked Exmor RS CMOS image sensor and BIONZ XR2 image processi...
23/07/2026
TNDV (a division of Live Media Group) provided technical production support for the Pickleball Slam 4 live broadcast from Seminole Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, ...
23/07/2026
LTN has announced it has completed satellite-to-IP migrations for more than 3,00...
23/07/2026
Daktronics has announced the winners of the 2026 DakClassroom Student Showcase, a national competition recognizing student work in media production, storytellin...
23/07/2026
The French Tennis Federation (FFT) and beIN Media Group have announced a five-ye...
23/07/2026
Clear-Com provided the communications infrastructure for the Fryderyk Awards Gal...
23/07/2026
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is, on paper, an unparalleled financial success. Total t...