'Mr. Trash Wheel' ​Removes Rubbish ​From the ​River

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'Mr. Trash Wheel' ​Removes Rubbish ​From the ​River

The Inner Harbor Water Wheel, or “Mr. Trash Wheel” to locals, combines old and new technology to harness the power of water and sunlight to collect litter and debris flowing down the Jones Falls River.

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The river’s current provides power to turn the water wheel, which lifts trash and debris from the water and deposits it into a dumpster barge.

When there isn’t enough water current, a solar panel array provides additional power to keep the machine running. When the dumpster is full, it’s towed away by boat, and a new dumpster is put in place

Mr.Trash has been in use since 2014, removing over 1 million lbs of rubbish from Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Some of that rubbish includes 8.9 million cigarette butts and half a million polystyrene containers. 

The company behind Mr.Trash are currently fundraising for a second wheel.

Sources: Baltimore Waterfront and Youtube

UPDATE FROM THE NEW YORKER NOVEMBER 2019

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http://www.youtube.com/embed/etUu3s3kO2M

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