A new floating plastic collector - or sea bin - has been installed in Dublin's Howth Harbour later today.

It follows fundraising by local marine biologist Rowan Byrne.

Two similar bins were installed in Dún Laoghaire after money was raised by 12-year-old Flossie Donnelly.

The sea bin has a pump at the base of it which breaks the surface of the water just enough for anything floating by to be caught in a net inside the bin. 

The net can then be lifted out and any plastic caught can be taken away for recycling or disposal.

Mr Byrne said generally the bin needs to be emptied once a day, but sometimes more often depending on how much plastic is floating by and taken out of the sea.

Flossie was inspired to fundraise for a sea bin when she saw a picture of one on her mother's Facebook account after she had started beach cleaning and wanted to help the local marine life by collecting boat oils and plastic.

"Since people learned about sea bins I've just been really happy that people have managed to get more because it's good to have two, but we need more sea bins, not so many that we can't see the sea any more and can just see the sea bins. 

"But we need more sea bins, we need more people cleaning the beaches, we need just anything like that."

Mr Byrne said he was motivated after seeing plastic floating in Howth Harbour where he spent time as a child.

He said he followed Flossie's lead and crowd-funded after contacting the Harbour Master, who approved the sea bin installation.

Mr Byrne said his aim "is to do more" and  encouraged others to follow Flossie's example

He thinks there should be government investment in innovation in this technology to solve the problem of plastic pollution in the seas.