The object
Boyan Slat created river and ocean plastic-collection technologies including the solar-powered Interceptor vessel. The manufactured system captures floating waste before it reaches the sea, applying automated collection hardware to a widely distributed environmental problem rather than relying solely on volunteer shoreline cleanup.
What Boyan did
Created the skimming and river-interception technologies behind The Ocean Cleanup's solar-powered Interceptor vessel system.
Why it matters
The Guardian reported that an Interceptor at Los Angeles' Ballona Creek prevented 143,710 pounds of rubbish from reaching the ocean during 2025.
Living-status check
Time's November 2024 profile identifies Slat as The Ocean Cleanup's founder and chief executive and reports active deployment work, positive evidence he was alive in 2024.