Australian city uses drainage nets to stop waste from polluting waterways
Plastic pollution and floating trash in water resources is an ever-growing global problem. Not only it is dangerous for human beings, but also for the wildlife as well. Luckily, sometimes, the simplest and easiest solutions are proven to be the most effective.
The City of Kwinana in Australia has installed drainage nets as an innovative filtration way to reduce the discharge of rubbish from drainage systems.
Back in March 2018 the city of Kwinana installed two drainage nets in Henley Reserve
The drainage nets or so-called “trash traps” were placed to reduce the discharge of plastic waste from drainage systems. The nets are designed to prevent pollutants and solid waste, carried by stormwater from the local road network, from flowing into the nature reserves. The trash traps were placed on the outlets of two drainage pipes, located between residential and natural areas.
The nets, including manufacture, installation and civil work, cost the city about $20,000
This kind of waste management was proven to be extremely cost-effective, as manual labor (workers used to collect the trash by hands) was reduced to a bare minimum. Traps are relatively easy to install, and when they get full – they are picked up with a crane.
After installation in March, in a period of four months, the nets caught around 815lbs (370kg) of trash
The collected waste was transported into a sorting facility, where the green waste was then converted into mulch, and recyclable/non-recyclable materials were separated and the plastics recycled. The city’s residents are glad that the nets were proven to be such an extremely successful project. The local wildlife benefited as well – not only do they live in a cleaner area, but the trash traps are not dangerous for them, as to date no animal has been caught up in either of the nets.
Mayor Carol Adams says that the local community was always concerned about environmental initiatives
“We know that the Kwinana community is very passionate about global problems and rallies around actions with positive environmental impact and if it was not for the drainage nets, 370kg of debris would have ended up in our reserve,” Adams added.
The city has decided that it is the most efficient and cost-effective way of keeping water pollution low. Imagine – if 815lbs of trash were collected in only four months, how much can be collected in a year or two? Hopefully, other places will follow the example of Kwinana and install nets in their cities as well.
StormX Netting Trash Trap
StormX Netting Trash Trap is engineered to capture gross pollutants and handle powerful stormwater runoff at most urban hot spots. Commercial grade, reusable nets provide full capture of gross pollutants as small as 5 mm, including organic materials (such as leaves) that could reduce the levels of phosphorous and nitrogen in our water. This economical solution to litter and debris in stormwater runoff is highly effective for “first flush.” To prevent flooding, built-in overflows allow heavy runoff to flow unimpeded.
