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A better litter trap

Rubbish washing into the oceans from stormwater drains is a major contributor to river and marine pollution. Efforts to encourage people to be more responsible in their behaviour cannot fully address the problem.

A new solution is currently being developed by the City of Boroondara, in conjunction with Swinburne University of Technology, in the form of an In-Line Litter Separator.

The prototype litter trap is designed to capture and reduce the amount of litter accumulating in stormwater drains. The In-Line Separator will replace a section of an existing Council drain and will allow water entering the separator to flow into a floating boom. This boom will catch and hold back the litter, while allowing litter free water to exit the system.

Litter is then stored in an adjacent litter collector cell within the separator, to be cleaned by Council on a regular basis. Under the new design, trapped litter will not block the drainage system. The innovative separator can handle large volumes of litter.

The In-Line separator has been designed by Dr Don Phillips, Civil and Environmental Engineering Group Leader at Swinburne. If the prototype is found to be effective Boroondara will introduce the technology to other areas of the City.

For further information contact Phil Storer, telephone (03) 9811 6341.

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