Massive Floating Boom Not Corralling Plastic Trash In Pacific

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF / AP) — A trash collection device deployed three months ago from the Bay Area to corral plastic litter floating between California and Hawaii is not collecting any trash.

But Boyan Slat, who launched the Pacific Ocean cleanup project, told The Associated Press in an interview Monday he is confident the 2,000-foot (600-meter) long floating boom will be fixed.

The device was launched from San Francisco Bay in early September.

The 24-year-old innovator from the Netherlands says one of the main issues is the plastic is not staying within the u-shaped boom with a net that hangs below the surface is the device's speed.

He says the boom is moving slower than the plastic, allowing the trash to float away.

Slat says a team of engineers is being sent out to sea to fix the speed problem.

He says he hopes the first load of trash will be hauled back to land by next summer.

© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.