Lazio Region's anti-plastic barrier yields results on Tiber river.

Tests carried out on the trash found that 46 per cent of it was made up of plastics, with additional junk including chairs, jackets, footballs, deckchairs and even a child's car seat.

The anti-plastic barrier was installed in mid-October by the Lazio Region near the coastal town of Fiumicino south-west of Rome.

The plastic-catching device intercepts floating plastic waste before it reaches the sea, accumulating the trash in a specific area where it is then collected by boat.

Authorities say that apart from catching the city's plastic waste, the visual aspect of the plastic-catcher in central Rome would help to raise awareness among Romans about the scourge of plastic waste.

The barrier system, already tested on the river Po in northern Italy, is based on the different buoyancy of materials, catching man-made waste but allowing natural debris, such as wood or reeds, to continue on their journey towards the sea.