Baltimore's harbor system is about to become home to "Gwynnda the Good Wheel of the West," an automated trash collection system that will join three other "trash wheels" in the area.
Mr. Trash Wheel was developed by Clearwater Mills LLC, a Pasadena, Md., startup that invented the technology, using the power of the flow of water plus solar panels to collect debris from waterways and recycle or dispose of it properly. In addition to the Baltimore wheels, there are similar projects in development for Newport Beach, Calif., Fort Worth, Texas, and in Panama.
Gwynnda the Good Wheel of the West will be the largest in use, able to collect 300 tons of trash each year. It will be placed on Gwynns Falls Creek, a tributary to the harbor.
The name was selected through an online vote.
Beyond the functional elements, each trash wheel is given its own style, via oversized eyes — violet ones in Gwynnda's case.