Rio turns to Dutch for help with floating garbage

Rio-2016;-Guanabara-Bay

Dead fish and trash float in the polluted Guanabara Bay in Rio de Janeiro. (Leo Correa/AP)

RIO DE JANEIRO — Under pressure from the International Olympic Committee, the government of Rio de Janeiro has turned to a high-technology Dutch firm to help collect floating rubbish in Guanabara Bay, the sailing venue for the 2016 Games.

Researchers have created a system that compiles weather and water-condition data and possibly real-time footage from cameras to forecast where litter accumulates and travels.

Project leader Joao Rego said Wednesday that the computer simulations provide an overview to make the job of collecting waste more cost-effective.

But environmentalists say the government is not doing enough to fix rampant sewage pollution and that the trash tracking will have zero impact on that.

Cutting the flow of pollutants by 80 per cent was promised as a lasting legacy in the city’s Olympic bid.

When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.