10.4.2 Compar ison of break-even price with alternat
ive current cleanup concepts
There have been numerous other cleanup concepts in the
past, conducted by various organizations and public volunteers.
Furthermore, cleanup efforts are currently being
undertaken, mostly by means of beach cleanups. To be
able to judge on the financial viability of the project, this
section will compare the cost per kg to other proposed
and present measures. Figure 10.6 compares The Ocean
Cleanup’s base price to alternative concepts. The figure is
far from complete, since most concepts have not shared
details like costs, deployments time and debris collection
rates.
As expected with the passive cleanup concept, capital
expenditures outweigh the operating expenditures. The
percentage deviation for the above amounts result in:
(i) a 18% decrease (best) to a 14% increase (worst) from
the base cost for capital expenditures; and (ii) a 16% decrease
to 16% increase from the base cost for operating
expenditures. The Ocean Cleanup will take the above figures
into account in order to attain the necessary funding,
develop a viable business model with the required
infrastructure and personnel expertise, and ensure the
financial sustainability of the project.