1 00:00:00,330 --> 00:00:01,380 - My name is Siddhartha Hayes. 2 00:00:01,380 --> 00:00:03,360 I'm the manager of Research and Aquaria 3 00:00:03,360 --> 00:00:05,190 here at Hudson River Park's River Project. 4 00:00:05,190 --> 00:00:06,210 - My name is Zoe Kim, 5 00:00:06,210 --> 00:00:09,210 a science educator at Hudson River Park's River Project. 6 00:00:09,210 --> 00:00:11,190 We are here on the south side of Pier 40 7 00:00:11,190 --> 00:00:13,680 and Hudson River Park's Estuarine Sanctuary. 8 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:15,930 Hudson River Park is a four mile long park 9 00:00:15,930 --> 00:00:18,210 stretching from Chambers Street up to West 59th 10 00:00:18,210 --> 00:00:19,800 on the west side of Manhattan. 11 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:21,600 - Plastic is a global issue 12 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:24,150 but it also affects our Hudson River estuary. 13 00:00:24,150 --> 00:00:26,910 One of the main ways plastics get into our waterways 14 00:00:26,910 --> 00:00:29,070 is through combined sewer outfalls. 15 00:00:29,070 --> 00:00:33,060 Plastics when consumed by organisms can cause them harm, 16 00:00:33,060 --> 00:00:35,250 either just because they get filled up on things 17 00:00:35,250 --> 00:00:37,170 that aren't actually nutritious food 18 00:00:37,170 --> 00:00:40,470 or because the plastics have toxins stuck to them 19 00:00:40,470 --> 00:00:44,070 that can, when accumulated hurt the organism. 20 00:00:44,070 --> 00:00:46,290 It actually becomes a health issue 21 00:00:46,290 --> 00:00:49,620 not just for the organisms, but for humans as well 22 00:00:49,620 --> 00:00:52,830 who rely on these organisms for their own food source. 23 00:00:52,830 --> 00:00:55,890 - This is the WasteShark, an exciting new tool 24 00:00:55,890 --> 00:00:58,290 that is a remote operated vehicle 25 00:00:58,290 --> 00:01:02,310 and this ROV can use a remote to drive around the waters 26 00:01:02,310 --> 00:01:03,960 in our park and pick up plastics 27 00:01:03,960 --> 00:01:05,730 that are floating on the surface. 28 00:01:05,730 --> 00:01:06,870 This is one of the ways 29 00:01:06,870 --> 00:01:09,330 that we're using new scientific technology 30 00:01:09,330 --> 00:01:11,640 to combat plastic pollution. 31 00:01:11,640 --> 00:01:13,080 - With data collected from the WasteShark 32 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:14,700 as well as our shoreline cleanups, 33 00:01:14,700 --> 00:01:17,250 we'll get a better sense of what types of plastic are here 34 00:01:17,250 --> 00:01:18,660 in the Hudson River Estuary, 35 00:01:18,660 --> 00:01:20,760 and then we'll be able to share that data 36 00:01:20,760 --> 00:01:23,220 with schools, partners, communities 37 00:01:23,220 --> 00:01:26,100 so that we can collectively create solutions 38 00:01:26,100 --> 00:01:27,630 to address this plastic issue 39 00:01:27,630 --> 00:01:29,400 that we are all currently facing. 40 00:01:29,400 --> 00:01:32,280 This is the WasteShark's mouth and collection bin. 41 00:01:32,280 --> 00:01:34,920 It can hold upwards of hundred pounds of plastic 42 00:01:34,920 --> 00:01:37,350 at full capacity and it slides out 43 00:01:37,350 --> 00:01:39,690 so that we're able to actually remove everything 44 00:01:39,690 --> 00:01:42,120 and count and categorize it once it's full. 45 00:01:42,120 --> 00:01:43,620 At the top of the WasteShark's mouth 46 00:01:43,620 --> 00:01:47,250 is a video camera that connects to the handheld controller 47 00:01:47,250 --> 00:01:49,080 which means we're able to actually see 48 00:01:49,080 --> 00:01:50,970 exactly what the WasteShark is picking up 49 00:01:50,970 --> 00:01:52,800 when it's deployed in the water. 50 00:01:52,800 --> 00:01:56,160 This remote controller allows us to control the WasteShark 51 00:01:56,160 --> 00:01:59,940 at distances of up to 500 meters using radio waves. 52 00:01:59,940 --> 00:02:04,290 It also connects to satellites to determine its GPS position 53 00:02:04,290 --> 00:02:07,593 which is then relayed from the WasteShark to the cloud. 54 00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:21,660 - The WasteShark is a reactive tool 55 00:02:21,660 --> 00:02:23,640 which means that we're using it in response 56 00:02:23,640 --> 00:02:25,440 to the plastic pollution problem. 57 00:02:25,440 --> 00:02:28,380 There are also lots of proactive solutions we can use 58 00:02:28,380 --> 00:02:30,690 from individual action to policies 59 00:02:30,690 --> 00:02:33,483 that reduce single-use plastics and plastic production.