Ocean Cleanup, a Dutch foundation working to rid the oceans of plastic, has announced that it will test its North Sea prototype this summer.

Manufacturing, deployment, and testing of the device have been budgeted at €1.5 million (approximately $1.7 million), a third of which was contributed by dredging and marine contractor Royal Boskalis Westminster. The government of the Netherlands committed an additional €500,000, while the final €500,000 was pledged by an unidentified philanthropist.

The test of the prototype, which spans a hundred meters and will be deployed twelve nautical miles off the coast of Scheveninger harbor, represents the world's first deployment of an ocean cleanup system. The goal of the test is to monitor and analyze behavior of a floating barrier segment in all weather conditions, including gale force wind and waves. The barrier itself is designed to act as an artificial coastline, passively collecting and concentrating trash in the ocean using the power of natural ocean currents.

By 2020, Ocean Cleanup hopes to deploy a hundred-kilometer (approximately sixty-two mile) structure between Hawaii and California. According to the organization, its system should be able to clean about half the Great Pacific Garbage Patch within ten years.

"Making sure the floating barriers are able to withstand the harshest of conditions is fundamental to the success of our mission," said Ocean Cleanup founder and CEO Boyan Slat. "I am grateful to our supporters for enabling us to perform these critical sea trials. It is this kind of support that is crucial in our preparation for the largest cleanup in history."