Huge floating barrier off Japan coast could help remove some of the 5 trillion pieces of rubbish polluting world's oceans

Researchers are launching tests aimed at setting up a huge floating barrier off the Japanese coast, a project that could eventually help remove some of the 5.25 trillion pieces of rubbish polluting the world’s oceans, officials said.

If the study is a success, the southern island of Tsushima could be the venue for a pilot scheme that would pluck tonnes of plastic waste from the sea - all without harming marine life.

The Ocean Cleanup Foundation wants to install a moored platform and floating boom off the island next year if the tests, which begin this month, prove promising. 

The system would span 2,000 metres, making it the longest floating structure ever deployed in the ocean, according to the Dutch foundation’s website.

Most ocean clean-up efforts involve the use of boats sailing around trying to catch the plastic, thousands of tonnes of which have been dumped around the world.

That method is both energy-intensive and time-consuming, whereas the Ocean Cleanup Foundation system relies on taking advantage of currents that carry rubbish along - effectively waiting for the garbage to come to it.