Learn More About The Trash Wheels
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"Watching Mr. Trash Wheel in action is almost hypnotic."
The New Yorker 2019
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"Most floating debris removed by a trash interceptor in one month"
Guiness World Records 2017
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"Baltimore’s harbor is cleaner than it has been in decades..."
National Geographic 2017
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"Trash wheels ... are on a roll in the U.S. Anthropomorphizing is optional."
Wall Street Journal
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"Googly eyes optional, but highly encouraged."
WIRED 2019
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"... a big water wheel to collect the plastic cups, cigarette butts and Cheetos bags ..."
NPR 2014
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"There are T-shirts, Halloween costumes and even local beers honoring him. ... And the garbage wheel tweets – a lot"
PBS NewsHour 2018
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“Mr. Trash Wheel truly captured hearts and minds."
Bloomberg 2016
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"...it’s hard to miss the pair of playful, five-foot tall googly eyes on top, which brings the contraption to life."
Chesapeake Bay Magazine 2018
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"...Mr. Trash Wheel was purpose-built for Baltimore..."
WIRED 2019
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"Most debris removed from a waterway by a trash interceptor"
Guinness World Record 2023
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"...a garbage gobbler with its own social media following"
National Geographic 2017
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"... anthropomorphizing a charismatic piece of waste infrastructure? That’s PR gold."
Bloomberg 2016
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"In short, they have become the region’s most unlikely aquatic icons since soft-shell crabs."
Baltimore Magazine 2020
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"He's tall, he's incredibly photogenic, he loves the environment, and he definitely isn't a picky eater."
The Cool Down 2023
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"As the family of trash wheels grows in Baltimore and beyond, hot-dip galvanized steel will play an integral role in the cleaning of the worlds waterways."
American Galvanizers Association 2017
Use The Power of Nature to Clean The Oceans
Mr. Trash Wheel is a social media celebrity, Baltimore landmark, and part of the semiautonomous trash interceptor family in the Baltimore Harbor and surrounding waters.
The Mr. Trash Wheel family positively impacts Baltimore’s urban ecosystem in three major ways:
Collection:
Sustainably powered and built to withstand the biggest storms, Mr. Trash Wheel uses a unique blend of solar and hydro power to collect 500 tons of litter and debris each year before it can enter the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean.
Evaluation:
Trash Wheel data is used by researchers and policy makers around the world to better understand the impacts of plastic on our oceans. Trash Wheel data has helped pass anti-litter legislation and quantify its impacts. When Maryland passed a statewide ban on foam containers in 2020, Mr. Trash Wheel data showed an 85% reduction in this type of litter.
Inspiration:
The Mr. Trash Wheel family has over 100,000 social media followers and has appeared in hundreds of news stories by outlets across the world. Fans have dressed up as Mr. Trash Wheel, made Mr. Trash Wheel cakes, and even written songs.
Meet The Trash Wheels
With big wheels and big eyes come big personalities.
To date, there are four trash wheels that call the Baltimore Harbor their home: Mr. Trash Wheel (2014), Professor Trash Wheel (2016), Captain Trash Wheel (2018), and Gwynnda the Good Wheel of the West (2021)
