Technology
LittaTraps
Enviropod LittaTraps are inserts that are installed in storm drains to filter out debris before it enters the sewer. We have installed nine LittaTraps through the city of Rochester and the town of Brighton. The traps stay in the drains all year round. We collect the traps every two weeks, weigh the debris, and then take it back to the lab for detailed analysis. The data is reported to the International Trash Trap Network. Bins are installed thanks to funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Debris Program in collaboration with the Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup. We are using the data collected by the LittaTraps in research to estimate the amount of plastic litter that enters the environment in the Rochester area and trace it through the sewers to Lake Ontario.
Seabins
Seabins are installed at marinas to skim debris out of the water. The bins have a pump that pull water into the bin and through a net that traps debris greater than around 2mm. The bins are removed daily, weighed, emptied, and the data is recorded on an app that merges the data with the rest of the International Trash Trap Network devices. Once a week, our team brings the debris from the Seanbins back to the lab at RIT for a detailed waste characterization. There are currently three Seabins installed at the Port of Rochester on the Genesee River and one installed at Southpoint Marina on Irondequoit Bay. The Seabins were acquired thanks to funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Debris Program in collaboration with the Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup. Data collected by the Seabins is being used in research to estimate the amount of plastic litter that enters Lake Ontario.