Water & Shoreline Cleanup

Buying advice

Reading oil skimmer recovery rates with care

Recovery rates quoted for skimmers such as the Desmi Ro-Klean or the Elastec Grooved Disc should come with the test behind them. ASTM F2709-19(2025) sets out how to measure a stationary skimmer's nameplate recovery rate, and the standard itself says that figure reflects ideal conditions and is unlikely to be reached in a real spill. Ask each maker whether its rate was measured to that method, with which test oil, and what de-rating it suggests for your waters. ITOPF's paper on skimmers explains why the right design depends on the oil and the conditions, so tell the maker which oils you expect to face.

Beach cleaning without stripping the strandline

A beach-cleaning robot such as the Poralu Marine BeBot changes how a beach is managed, so agree the rules before it arrives. In a study of Scottish beaches published in Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, mechanically groomed sites averaged 1.13 strandline invertebrate taxa against 4.86 on ungroomed sites. Decide with an ecologist which zones and seasons the robot covers, whether seaweed wrack stays in place, and how you will keep it away from nesting birds. Write those limits into the operating plan, and check whether the beach carries a conservation designation that needs a regulator's consent first.

Sizing ocean and river plastic capture

As of October 2026, prices shown here started near $80,000 with the BeBot (Poralu Marine) and climbed to near $5 million with the Ocean Cleanup System 002, and no listing was quote-only. Open-ocean capture targets floating debris far from shore: in the peer-reviewed estimate published in Scientific Reports, at least 46% of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch's plastic mass was fishing nets and over 75% of the mass was debris larger than 5 cm. Before choosing an offshore system, cost out how recovered material gets ashore, how it will be sorted and where it can legally go. Compare that bill with stopping waste closer to its source, in ports and rivers.

What to look for

• Operating environment: sand, harbour, river, coastal waters or open sea
• Capacity and recovery rate, measured against the scale of the task
• Deployment needs: vessel, crane, towing vehicle or trained crew

Common questions

Who buys water and shoreline cleanup systems?

Typically port authorities, coastal councils, environmental contractors and spill-response organisations. Share your site and the task when you request a quote.

Can these systems run without a crew?

Some, such as beach-cleaning robots, are designed for remote operation. Larger oil-recovery and ocean systems usually work with vessels and trained crews. Check each listing before you plan a deployment.

Sources and further reading

• ASTM F2709-19(2025) Measured nameplate recovery rate of stationary oil skimmer systems — ASTM International.
  Test method behind skimmer recovery-rate claims; it measures ideal conditions and advises de-rating for real spills.
• Mechanical grooming and beach award status are associated with low strandline biodiversity in Scotland — Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science (record at the University of Stirling).
  Survey of 60 Scottish beaches linking mechanical grooming to fewer invertebrates living in the strandline.
• Evidence that the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is rapidly accumulating plastic — Scientific Reports (Nature Portfolio).
  Peer-reviewed estimate of the plastic in the patch, split by debris size and type, with fishing nets a large share.