Solar Water Wheels Prevent 1Mil Pounds of Trash From Entering Baltimore Harbor

Mr. Trash Wheel may look a little silly with his googley eyes and gaping mouth, but he has a serious job: keeping trash from entering the Baltimore Harbor.

He’s good at his job too – since his installation in May 2014, this solar-powered trash wheel and his compatriot Professor Trash Wheel have saved over 1 million pounds of trash from entering the Baltimore Harbor.

From his perch on the Jones Falls River, Mr. Trash Wheel rotates based on power drawn from the river’s current. If not enough electricity can be generated from the river alone, the wheel uses solar energy instead.

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The trash that is picked up by the wheel is either sorted into groups of recyclable material, or burned to provide electricity for the city. The most common articles of litter gathered by Mr. Trash Wheel is either cigarette butts or plastic chip bags.

Officials say that most of the trash that ends up in the water is simply because of rain runoff washing away garbage overflow within the city.

Mr. Trash Wheel has been so successful – with up to 38,000 pounds of litter gathered per day since he was installed – that Professor Water Wheel was built at Harris Creek Park in Canton in December.

You can follow the two garbage machines via their Twitter or Facebook pages.

(WATCH the video below)

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