The Britvic-owned drinks brand Aqua Libra will launch a robotic ‘WasteShark’ into the waterways of London’s Canary Wharf to mark Global Recycling Day.
The marine robot, which is designed to remove floating waste and give data on water quality, will be released into the Canary Wharf’s Middle Dock on Tuesday 14 March (four days ahead of Global Recycling Day on Saturday 18 March).
Making its London debut, the robot, which can travel up to 5km through water and collect up to 500kg of plastic waste – or around 22,700 plastic bottles, will help to significantly reduce plastic waste in the area.
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“Ensuring packaging never becomes waste is a core part of our vision, and we are excited to be bringing the brilliantly innovative WasteShark technology to London in partnership with the team at Canary Wharf Group to help tackle plastic pollution in this revolutionary way,” said Aqua Libra ‘Beyond the Bottle’ managing director Steve Potts.
The attention-grabbing campaign from the water brand comes amid much discussion about water pollution, with scientists at the 5 Gyres Institute recently calculating that more than 170 trillion particles are afloat in the world’s oceans.
“At the Canary Wharf Group we aim to transform urban spaces into extraordinary environments which work for nature as well as people,” said Canary Wharf Group director of sustainability Sophie Goddard.
“We’re so pleased to be launching the WasteShark in partnership with Aqua Libra.”
