DIVE&CLEAN: Early Submerged Plastic Removal

Coastal plastic settling on the seabed fragments into microplastics that persist in sediments for decades, degrading benthic habitat and water quality. This study quantifies how early removal of submerged macroplastic prevents long-term accumulation. Physics-based stability analysis, field tests in Malta, and worldwide surveys confirm technical and social feasibility of DIVE&CLEAN, a low-cost diver-assisted seabed bin deployed at recreational dive routes. Each bin also serves as a fixed sampling station for microplastic research. The model predicts >96% prevention when intervention starts in the first five years (across all tested fragmentation rates), but only 76% if delayed to year 20.