Trash Wheel In Newport Beach Now Spinning After Ribbon-Cutting Event

NEWPORT BEACH, CA — A groundbreaking mechanism designs to clean Newport Beach waterways is now spinning in the city, after city and county officials gathered on March 7 for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to launch the Newport Bay Trash Interceptor.

The system, informally known as the "Trash Wheel," is designed to remove much of the floating trash and debris from the San Diego Creek before it reaches Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve, Newport Harbor and city beaches, city officials said.

The $5.5 million system is designed to intercept up to 80 percent of floating debris from San Diego Creek, combatting the 100 to 500 tons of trash that flows annual through the water channel.

The project was inspired by a similar successful project in Baltimore Harbor, City Manager Grace Leung said. The Newport Beach Trash Interceptor operates on a floating platform that adapts to tide levels, anchored to the creek bottom with guide piles.

The mechanism features a large, 14-foot spinning wheel that is powered by both river currents and solar power.

Here’s how it works, according to the city:

• A boom system directs floating trash toward the Interceptor.
• A spinning rake gathers debris and feeds it onto the conveyor belt.
• The conveyor belt transports the trash into a collection container.
• Once full, the container glides along a short rail system to be picked up by a standard trash truck.

The Trash Interceptor will work with the City’s existing trash-reduction strategies, including floating skimmers, trash booms, and catch basin collection systems, the city said.