Keep it wheel with Mr. Trash Wheel, the personification of a revolutionary new technology that is helping to clean up our oceans and urban waterways. Trash Wheels use the power of water and sunlight to collect litter and debris flowing down rivers and streams, before it reaches open water. The river’s current provides power to turn the wheel, which moves a conveyor belt that lifts trash and debris from the water and deposits it into a dumpster barge. Solar panels provides additional power to keep the machine running even when the current is slow.

Since May 2014 Mr. Trash Wheel has collected over 1,000,000 pounds of trash and debris including 367,930 plastic bottles, 459,000 polystyrene containers, and 8.9 million cigarette butts.