|
Baltimore’s
Storm Drain Trash Catcher Gets Crabby
BALTIMORE (July 19, 2012) – The citizens of Baltimore have spoken. They are
tired of the trash from litterers flowing into Baltimore’s waterways.
Baltimore’s Department of Public Works (DPW) heard the call and recently installed
five storm drain trash catchers around
town to snag litter before it goes down the storm drains and into the city’s
waterways.
“When people litter, most of it goes down our
storm drains and winds up in the water –soda bottles and cans, McDonald’s
burger containers, you name it,” said DPW Director Alfred H. Foxx. “The
installation of these types of devices is a part of our ongoing effort to address
trash removal in both the northwest branch (Inner Harbor) and the middle branch
of the Patapsco River.”
The storm drain trash catcher (also called
a catch basin) is an inlet to the system that typically includes a grate where
stormwater enters the catch basin, and a sump to capture debris and other associated
pollutants. When it
rains: a retractable screen on the drain opens; a second screen inside the
drain captures the trash where DPW’s maintenance workers vacuum.
Baltimore
was selected by the California contractor West
Cost Storms, Inc. — who provided the labor and materials for the
installation at no cost — as a site for product testing.
At the Fayette and Port streets location, DPW’s
partner Blue Water Baltimore recently joined community members, BANNER
neighborhood's Leanna Wetmore and street artist Adam Stab to decorate the storm
drain trash catcher with some original artwork: a
Maryland crab.
-
Litter cleanup costs
the U.S. almost $11.5 billion each year, with businesses
paying $9.1 billion. Governments, schools, and other organizations pick up
the remainder.
-
The presence of litter in a community
takes a toll on the quality of life, property values and housing prices by
7 percent.
- Confection (candy, gum, etc.)
ranks at the top by 53.7 percent followed by cigarette butts at 29.8
percent as litter dropped at “transition points” or where items
must be discarded before entering, including in storm drains.
For more information about DPW’s new storm drain trash catchers,
please call 410.545.6541.
# # # #
Follow us on Twitter: @BaltimoreDPW & Join our Baltimore City Department of Public Works Facebook Fan Page!
Please consider the environment before printing this.
| 
