What Is a Trash Wheel?
A Trash Wheel is a stationary, water-powered collection system designed to capture floating trash and debris from waterways before it can travel downstream into larger bodies of water.
Trash Wheels are already helping communities protect their waterways by intercepting waste before it reaches sensitive bays and the ocean.
Beyond removing trash, these highly visible systems help protect wildlife, improve local waterways, and serve as a powerful reminder that what happens on our streets eventually reaches our ocean.
Now we want to bring that idea to San Diego.
Baltimore, Maryland Mr. Trash Wheel
The project that started a movement.
Baltimore’s original Mr. Trash Wheel began operating in 2014 at the mouth of the Jones Falls. Today, Baltimore has a family of four Trash Wheels using solar and water power to capture litter carried through the stormwater system before it reaches the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean. The fleet collects approximately 500 tons of trash and debris each year.
Newport Beach, California Newport Bay Trash Interceptor
A California example close to home.
Completed in March 2025, Newport Beach’s Trash Interceptor sits on San Diego Creek and captures floating trash and debris before it enters the environmentally sensitive Upper Newport Bay Marine Preserve. Its design is based on Baltimore’s Mr. Trash Wheel and uses booms, a water wheel, conveyor system and solar power to move debris into dumpsters for removal.