Collection site: Skagerrak, Sweden

Method: Coastal cleanup

Partners: Sotenäs Municipality

The North Sea Plastic

About 20 000 tons of garbage is dumped in the North Sea every year. The Bohuslän archipelago, with its thousands of islands and reefs, acts as a filter for the water masses on their way North. Most of the debris sinks to the sea floor, and around 5000 cubic meters of debris floats ashore on the beaches of Bohuslän.

The plastic that was collected on the Bohuslän beaches in Sweden consisted largely of various rinse aid and detergent bottles, cans, plastic buckets, and all kinds of plastic packaging. The plastic has not been bleached in the same way as in the great oceans. It is still loud and strong in color. A lot of the found plastic was also drenched in spill oil.

The Collection

Electrolux cooperated with the beach cleaning team in Sotenäs Municipality operated by Produktionsskolan. The team makes daily trips along the coast to clean the most vulnerable beaches. The debris used for the concept vac was collected in one of the hidden coves of Ramsvik.

Making the Vac

The plastic was washed clean and cut in pieces. The bright colored pieces were then punched into circular tokens. These tokens were then applied onto a fiberglass weave and moulded to follow the shape of the vacuum cleaner.