Aquatic Plastic Podcast #7

In the latest episode of Aquatic Plastic, the podcast dedicated to cleaner rivers and seas, Vice President of DESMI Ro-Clean, Maggie Lund, shares her remarkable journey from a childhood in remote Xinjiang to the front lines of global water-protection efforts.

A Childhood Far From the Sea, Yet Close to Nature

Maggie Lund grew up in Ürümqi—one of the world’s most landlocked cities. Although the sea was thousands of kilometers away, mountain rivers and crystal-clear lakes shaped her early connection to water. As a child, she confronted her first environmental injustice when she told off an adult for littering in the mountains. “I knew it was the right thing to do,” she recalls. That sense of responsibility never left her.

From China to Denmark: A Career Shaped by Climate and Curiosity

After earning a degree in environmental science and later an MBA, Maggie built a career across continents—from Germany to Beijing, from the Netherlands to Denmark—working in clean energy, waste management and global environmental diplomacy.

Her turning point came in 2018 at a conference, where she heard misplaced blame directed at China for global plastic waste problems. The moment motivated her to dive deeper into the plastic crisis. Not long after, she joined The Ocean Cleanup in the Netherlands and later DESMI Ro-Clean, a global leader in marine debris and oil-spill response.

Turning Technology Into Real-World Impact

DESMI Ro-Clean’s mission is simple and urgent: provide practical, robust and scalable solutions to remove pollution from rivers, lakes and oceans. Their technologies—from guiding booms to automated waste conveyors—work 24/7 in some of the world’s most polluted waterways.

In India alone, more than 30 DESMI systems are already operating, collecting 6–10 tons of waste per day at key locations. Maggie emphasizes that every river is different: “There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Every system must be tailored to the river’s seasonality, flow and local conditions.”

Why Plastic Pollution Is Worse Than Oil

 “Oil is natural—it breaks down in a few years. Plastic stays for 200 to 500 years. In many ways, plastic pollution is worse.”

While oil spills trigger immediate global response, plastic pollution grows slowly and silently until it becomes “normal.” For Maggie, shifting public awareness is as important as deploying technology.

Looking Ahead: Smarter, Tougher, More Scalable Solutions

Despite being a small team, DESMI Ro-Clean continues to refine its technologies and test new ideas in real environments. “We only sell what is proven in the field,” Maggie says. New innovations are already in development, focusing on durability, adaptability and cost-efficiency.

Aquatic Plastic is brought to you by the Interreg Danube Region Programme, co-funded by the European Union. Operating within the world's most international river basin, the Aquatic Plastic Danube-Region Interreg project unites 33 organizations spanning 10 countries. Together, we are executing 19 pilot actions and developing 8 solutions aimed at preventing, reducing, and managing plastic pollution in the natural waterways of the Danube River Basin. How do we navigate through such diverse borders? Explore further by delving into our report, and begin following our journey on LinkedIn and other social media platforms.