Baltimore’s third trash wheel starts churning

Baltimore’s harbor now has a trio of solar-powered, trash-collecting water wheels.
Captain Trash Wheel started churning Wednesday at Masonville Cove in South Baltimore. Along with gobbling up trash that could otherwise be headed for the Chesapeake Bay, the gender-neutral trash wheel is already active on social media.

Am I the only one who tweets in bed before their first official day at work? #TheCaptainIsHere #ReportingForDuty pic.twitter.com/ZghXBTxyk1

— Captain Trash Wheel (@CaptTrashWheel) June 5, 2018

Captain Trash Wheel joins Inner Harbor’s Mr. Trash Wheel and Canton’s Professor Trash Wheel in efforts to swallow pollution. The water wheel was invented by Pasadena-based Clearwater Mills. With international attention visited on the concept, Clearwater’s John Kellett has long talked about adding more trash wheels in Baltimore and beyond. We’ve seen reports out of Philly and D.C. indicating interest.

Meet the latest addition to the trash wheel family. Welcome @CaptTrashWheel! pic.twitter.com/1OUuceJuBy

— Mr. Trash Wheel (@MrTrashWheel) June 5, 2018

According to WBAL-TV, the Port of Baltimore owns Captain Trash Wheel, and provided $400,000 in funding. The wheels are equipped with a conveyor belt to collect trash, and dumpster.
As the human features and Twitter account indicate, the benefits go beyond the work of picking up trash. The trash wheels also provide a chance to get everyone involved in the environmental cause. For the latest addition, organizers let the public vote on the name.