They conducted a series of tests over the course of 12 weeks, each one consisting of the system being taken offshore to safely gather plastic from the ocean.
The organization completed its final test of the system last week, and on Thursday, The Ocean Cleanup tweeted it had gathered 9,000 kilograms — more than 19,841 pounds — of debris.
This is what 9000kg of ocean plastic looks like inside the retention zone and on deck.
"Holy mother of god," Boyan Slat, the founder of Ocean Cleanup, tweeted after the organization recovered its massive trash haul on October 8.
The Ocean Cleanup says the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is one of the largest marine debris patches in the world.
If properly deployed, the organization predicts it could remove 90% of all floating ocean plastic by 2040.
"Once plastic has gotten into open ocean, it becomes very expensive and fossil-fuel intensive to get it back out again," Goldstein said. »