Cleaning Baltimore's Inner Harbor

Cleaning Baltimore's Inner Harbor



Feb 2007 - The Baltimore 
City Board of Estimates has conditionally approved funding for 
new garbage and debris collection technology which promises to 
improve sanitation in Baltimore's Inner Harbor. 
"I am very excited that Baltimore is going to benefit from the 
Water Wheel and BigBelly," said Mayor Sheila Dixon. "Millions 
of people visit the Inner Harbor every year, and it is 
Baltimore's showcase attraction. They will see Baltimore as 
innovative, resourceful, and - most importantly - clean!" 
The new solar-powered BigBelly Compactors, produced by the 
Seahorse Power Company of Needham, Massachusetts, will be 
installed throughout the Inner Harbor promenade. 
When full, the cordless 42 gallon bins automatically compact 
trash to one-eighth its original volume. The self-contained 
units will reduce odors and overflow from trash in 
high-traffic volume areas, Mayor Dixon said. 
A $375,000 Water Wheel, designed by Clearwater Mills, LLC, 
uses a centuries-old technology to remove floating trash and 
debris from the water in Baltimore's Inner Harbor. 
John Kellett, the company's managing agent who is also the 
director of the Baltimore Maritime Museum, invented the Water 
Wheel system and said he hopes to have it in place this year. 
The city will place the trash interceptor device at the mouth 
of the Jones Falls, where it will operate continuously 
unattended - even when the water level is low. 
The interceptor will automatically collect garbage caught in 
the city's stormwater system after rain. Now, the city blocks 
garbage flowing down the stream into the harbor with a series 
of floating traps, or booms. 
"Baltimore is demonstrating its commitment to clean and green 
technology," said Mayor Dixon.

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