BALTIMORE, Md. (WBFF) — Mr. Trash Wheel, Baltimore’s googly-eyed, 50-ton trash interceptor, caused a splash last week when it fetched a porta-potty from the waters of the Jones Falls before it could drift into the Inner Harbor. The heroic act was all in a day’s work for the world’s most famous debris-collecting machine.
Designed by John Kellett, a Baltimore engineer and marine educator, and powered by water currents and solar energy, Mr. Trash Wheel has floated in its place near Pier Six Pavilion, collecting refuse between its boom arms, almost continuously since 2014. Along with Professor Trash Wheel, Captain Trash Wheel, and Gwynnda the Good Wheel of the West — the replicas it has spawned — they have kept more than 3,680 tons of refuse — about 7 million pounds — from entering the city’s most popular gathering places.
Dubbed a celebrity and a “hero of the harbor,” Mr. Trash Wheel has won global acclaim, its face and innovative features spotlighted across all forms of media. The “family” claims more than 100,000 followers on social media, and a local rock band, the Lost Pythons, celebrates them. The Sun spoke with Adam Lindquist — the leader of Waterfront Partnership Baltimore‘s Healthy Harbor Initiative, a guitarist in the band, and the structures’ overseer — about their history and impact. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Read the full story on the Baltimore Sun.
Local Story
