If you grew up with a swimming pool, you know the gross pool filtration bag that caught all the leaves and dead bugs. Well, Australia just scaled that concept up.
We love seeing clever innovations that will better the world. Especially when it comes to clearing harmful elements from our water sources. Remember the concept of the Seabin? That was similar to this concept and also worked on the same idea as a swimming pool filtration system.
Another clever concept is the big wheel trash collectors found in harbours of the USA. Both these ideas were created to combat plastic in the ocean but thanks to this new Australian idea, the plastic pollution and other rubbish can be prevented from ever entering the ocean in the first place.
The idea is to install a drainage net over an outflow pipe and catch anything that shouldn’t be in the waterways. According to the City of Kwinana, they have already collected over 370kgs of debris.
“Did you know the City has installed two drainage nets in Henley Reserve? Started as a trial to reduce the discharge of rubbish from drainage systems, these nets have collected 370kg of debris from entering our nature reserve since their installation. How amazing is that!” – The city of Kwinana, Australia
Since posting about the new drainage nets, the city’s post has gone viral with people all over the world loving the concept. The post reached over 2.5 million people in less than 48 hours. The mayor of the town was overjoyed to have inspired so many people.
“We know that the Kwinana community is very passionate about environmental initiatives 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,”
“The nets are placed on the outlet of two drainage pipes, which are located between residential areas and natural areas. This allows the nets to capture the gross pollutants carried by stormwater from the local road network before those pollutants are discharged and contaminate the natural environment at the downstream end of the outlet area. This ensures that the habitat of the local wildlife is protected and minimizes the risk of wildlife being caught in the nets. To date, no wildlife has been caught up in either of the City’s nets.” – Mayor Carol Adams
The nets are easily lifted and emptied by the City’s staff directly into a truck by way of a crane. The waste is then transported to a sorting facility which processes it and converts the green waste to mulch and separates the recyclable/non-recyclable materials.
“The success of the post with over 27k shares, 92k likes and 13k loves in just 48 hours from people all over the world, just goes to show how important it is for government at all levels to really start to focus on environmental initiatives such as these and realise that small actions can have big impacts,” Mayor Adams said.
What do you think… would this work for South Africa’s waterways?
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