NEWS 11
PEOPLE'S POST | CONSTANTIA | WYNBERG Tuesday, 12 December 2017
ENVIRONMENT
Local invests in bin with a bite NICOLE MCCAIN @nickymccain
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Pinelands man was sitting at the V&A Waterfront three years ago, drinking a coffee, when he thought up the latest technical advance to take to the Waterfront’s waterways. While watching two men on a boat using a pull net to remove plastic from the harbour, Richard Hardiman thought there had to be a better way to remove litter from the water. On Thursday, Hardiman and the Waterfront launched this better way: The WasteShark, a plastic-gobbling marine drone. Inspired to find a more technologicallyadvanced way of removing refuse from water, Hardiman began tinkering in his garage, and learnt programming by watching videos, to develop a prototype for the drone. He initially tested it in his pool with his children, before taking the prototype to Rotterdam. His company, RanMarine, then developed it into the autonomous floating device which swallows litter in its path. A world first, the WasteShark has been tested for the last year in the Port of Rotterdam and is being tested in Sweden, India, the United Arab Emirates, the United States and Australia. The V&A is the first port in Africa to test the technology at a demonstration at the Volvo Ocean Race Ocean Summit. Waterfront CEO David Green told conference participants: “As the country’s oldest working harbour and one of the most recognised waterfronts in the world, the Waterfront is keenly aware of our responsibility to protect this natural resource. The time to act against the scourge of plastic pollution in our waterways is now. For us, ensuring
that plastic from the harbour does not end up in the open sea is one way of tackling plastic pollution in our oceans, and the WasteShark offers a remarkably practical way in which to do this.” Hardiman’s invention is being piloted with a view to becoming an additional element in the Waterfront’s sustainability programme. Over the past year, the Waterfront has recycled 2500 tons of waste and collected and diverted from landfill over 6300 tons of waste, of which 81 tons came from the waterway and the marine industry. About 24% of all the recyclable waste was plastic. In addition, Waterfront employees who manned the boats and pull nets previously used to clean the waterways will be upskilled as “drone technicians”, Hardiman explains. The drones will also provide the Waterfront with the means to check water quality, as each drone can carry over 200 sensors to measure markers such as PH levels. This will allow the Waterfront to ensure marine life – such as birds, seals and fish – living in the harbour have the best possible environment, explains Andre Blaine, the Water-
The WasteShark.
front’s marine and industrial executive man- teries, and is equipped with sensors to give ager. feedback on water quality, weather and depth “As we are home to the Two Oceans Aquari- of the harbour basin to authorities. GIO mapum, it is very important to us to have good ping ensures the drones don’t get in the way quality water,” he says. of shipping traffic and they are able to reverse The WasteShark machine is powered for up should they collide with anything in the to eight hours with rechargeable marine bat- water.
The V&A Waterfront is the first port in Africa to test a new plastic-gobbling water machine invented by a Pinelands businessman. PHOTO: NICOLE MCCAIN
PHOTO: TREVOR SAMSON
3... 2... 1... Lift off into space The Canal Walk Space Station VIP launch took place last Wednesday night. This entertainment arena, designed to welcome earthlings of all ages and provide them with discovery and delight, will be on display until Sunday 14 January. Visitors can look forward to a gigantic inflatable space maze, where would-be space travellers are welcome to explore a series of zones and embark on their mission, which is to get to the sun. Features include a 4m inflatable slide, a “wormhole”, a hall of mirrors, a constellation and solar system board that lights up, an asteroid field and an obsta-
Virtual reality fun at the Space Station.
cle course and UV laser web zone. There will also be a pop-up planetarium and a space café for refreshments. The entertainment area is open for 45 minutes every hour, on the hour, from 10:00 to 21:00. The Space Station will be closed on 25 December only. Entry costs R40 per person from www.computicket.co.za. V Five families can each win a set of four tickets to visit the Space Station. To enter send an email to win@peoplespost.co.za with the words “Space Station” in the subject field by Friday at noon. Remember to include your name and contact number.
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