Listen up, my valued readers, because in the realm of ocean conservation, this is definitely something to get excited about. The Seabin Project is the brainchild of Australian industrial designers and surfers Andrew Turton and Pete Ceglinski, who together with the backing of marine technology development company Shark Mitigation Systems Pty Ltd created a working prototype of an automated marine trash can. This innovative pollution-preventing technology attempts to conquer the daunting task of cleaning up our oceans by starting with high density marinas and harbors.

So how does the Seabin work? The floating container is connected to a floating dock via a series of pipes, with a water pump operated by shore power. As water flows into the bin, debris is captured in a natural fiber bag while the water is sucked up into the pump, through an oil separator, and back into the marina. The remaining debris in the bag can be easily recovered and disposed of in an existing waste receptacle. Because the Seabin is non-obtrusive, low-maintenance, cost effective, and works 24/7, it provides a viable alternative to expensive and less effective trash boats that use trawls to clean up harbors and marinas. Another huge advantage of the Seabin is that it's virtually bycatch-free, as fish and other marine life avoid the flow of water at the top of the container. Goals of The Seabin Project include starting production in early 2016 and eventually manufacturing Seabins using recovered ocean debris.

Although (in the author's humble opinion) the Seabin is arguably one of the most useful inventions of 2015, some questions do come to mind: Are there effective laws in place for the regulation of garbage disposal for all waterways? Is a change in policy enough for the prevention of ocean pollution? Can one invention have the power to improve the general public's literacy of ocean conservation? Nonetheless, The Seabin Project is a promising and innovative solution for pollution prevention. Check out their Indiegogo campaign to support cleaner oceans.