To help comply with the Anacostia River Trash Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), the Washington DC Department of Environment (DDOE) has installed two floating trash traps in the Anacostia Watershed (link).
Here is a short video showing the Bandalong trash trap in operation.
Video 1This in-stream device is effective in trapping floatable materials like plastic bottles, styrofoam cups and plastic bags floating on the water surface.
The DDOE contracts with non-profit organizations like Groundwork Anacostia and Earth Conservation Corp to have the trash baskets cleaned manually. Here’ a short video of Earth Conservation Corp participants leaning DDOE the trash trap.
DC’s in-stream trash trap approach could help right here in the TTF Watershed. It could reduce the trash load on Tacony Creek Park and provide a hands-on litter – stream trash learning opportunity for Philadelphia residents.
DC’s in-stream trap cleanup is much more efficient because than sending volunteers out to cleanup s a few times a year. Since the trash is trapped in a single basket rather than being spread over acres of streambank and floodplain, the cleanup effort is much more effective than the current TTF watershed cleanup efforts. For the same investment of volunteer effort, we could get a lot more trash with an in-stream trash trap.
The young ECC cleaners are both contributing to cleaning up the Anacostia River and learning about the consequences of litter/ illegal dumping. They will have a lot to tell their fiends about why they should not litter/ dump trash. This is both an educational training – outreach effort and a cleanup effort.
Here are links to 2 presentations on the DDOE’s in-stream trash trap efforts.