It's a Trash Interceptor!
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Before
Located in Baltimore Harbor, Maryland, this facility was installed in Harris Creek at the urging of the Baltimore Harbor Watershed Association to bring public attention to the issue of trash in the harbor.
As water flows under the bridge and through the structure on the left, floating debris are caught by nets and held until workers can remove the nets, preventing the trash from entering Baltimore Harbor. Currently the interceptor is collecting about 5 tons of trash per month, and the Baltimore Harbor Watershed Association has been encouraging the city to install about 6 interceptors in the harbor.
However, even this effort will only be a "drop in the harbor" so to speak, when it comes to solving the litter problem. The main goal of placing the interceptors is to make the public aware of how much trash is funneling into their waterways thanks to litter in the streets, residential, commercial, and industrial areas.
Beverage containers (see below) make up a huge proportion of this trash.
The trash interceptor was featured in Urbanite Magazine in August, 2007. Read the article.
To learn more about the trash netting system and other initiatives, visit baltimorewaters.org.
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