A Boat Named 'Mr. Trash Wheel' Is Single-Handedly Cleaning Up Baltimore Harbor

This is Mr. Trash Wheel. Powered by the river's current and the sun, this beloved machine catches water flowing into the harbor and sweeps up debris.

He's positioned where the Jones Falls River empties into the harbor and catches the garbage floating down. The garbage is mainly litter that's swept off the ground during rain storms and carried downriver.

After heavy storms, a lot of trash can collect in the harbor, and it's not a pretty sight. Luckily, Mr. Trash Wheel is on the case.

Since his introduction in May 2014, Mr. Trash Wheel has collected 350 tons of trash from the harbor. In total, he's collected nearly 200,000 plastic bottles, over 100,000 plastic bags, and more than 6.5 million cigarette butts. Without Mr. Trash Wheel, this would have all been washed out to sea

The garbage is collected via this conveyor belt, which is powered by a water wheel that runs off the river's current. On calm days, the power is generated by solar panels, so there's no cost to run the wheel at all. On a sunny day, the panels can generate enough electricity to power a home.

The trash is collected into a dumpster, which is towed away by boat when full and replaced with an empty one. The trash is incinerated, which provides energy for electricity in the city.

Let's hear it for Mr. Trash Wheel!

You can learn more about this nifty invention on the Baltimore Waterfront's website, and even check out a live-stream of Mr. Trash Wheel's daily duties. He even has a Twitter account!

Baltimore Harbor is where the Jones Falls River empties, but it doesn't always empty just water; it also brings with it all the trash and debris from upstream. As you can imagine, the result is pretty unsightly.

---

Excerpt & Images from Little Things 2015 (Source Link Here)