Dive Brief:

• The water wheel installed in Baltimore, MD, which removes trash from the city’s Inner Harbor, could potentially be used to generate energy from the waste.
• The city’s Board of Estimates will soon vote on the fate of the trash collected by the wheel. The waste could be handled by the Baltimore Refuse Energy Systems Company at its waste-to-energy facility. Each ton could produce electricity to power 400 households per hour.
• In this scenario, the city would pay for disposal for the next five years through funds from storm water fees and the its Bureau of Solid Waste.

Dive Insight:

The solar-powered wheel has collected 150 tons of waste since its installation in May 2014. The water wheel cost $800,000 to build and install through funding by the Maryland Port Administration and Constellation Energy. The first wheel has been well-received, and the city is exploring the idea of installing a smaller version in addition to the existing wheel. The Waterfront Partnership is currently raising funds for the second wheel, which they plan to build at Harris Creek.