Toronto just put a bunch of floating garbage cans in Lake Ontario
If you happen to walk by Toronto's Outer Harbour Marina, you might notice three garbage cans floating in the water. But don't worry! They're supposed to be there.
The cans are part of something called the Seabin Project, a new technology that helps clean all the gross garbage and debris from the surface of the water.
Toronto is one of the first places in Canada to try out the new technology, which sucks up everything from plastic, to cigarette butts to gas and oil spills.
Have you seen our new SeaBins in action yet? These floating bins collect solid particles, incl. micro-plastics down to 2mm, and can also collect hydrocarbons, fuel and oil that has spilled into the water. Read more via @BICnewsletter : https://t.co/5LdUAnFnIa @Seabin_project pic.twitter.com/23RcY3cVB2
— Outer Harbour Marina (@OHMtoronto) July 15, 2019
Mike Dwyer, the manager of Outer Harbour Marina, told CBC Toronto they've noticed a huge difference since the installation of the cylindrical garbage bins.
We were thrilled to talk about Seabins today with @Natalie_SKi! A first in Canada, 3 Seabins were installed in strategic areas of the marina where they run 24/7, collecting debris as small as 2mm & hydrocarbons (fuel/oil) that can spill into waterways. @Seabin_project @CBCToronto pic.twitter.com/jcNshVBqWO
— Outer Harbour Marina (@OHMtoronto) July 17, 2019
The Seabin Project was invented by two Australian surfers who noticed huge amounts of garbage in the ocean every time they went surfing.
So, they decided to do something about it and launched an Indiegogo page that raised $349,304 for the project.
According to their website, one Seabin has the ability to catch 90,000 plastic bags per year, 35,700 disposable cups per year, 16,500 plastic bottles per year and 166,500 plastic utensils per year.
This is pretty cool! pic.twitter.com/nUaiUK7ar7
— Natalie Nanowski (@Natalie_SKi) July 17, 2019
Passersby are already noticing the floating bins. And if the pilot project continues to do well, we can expect more to start appearing in Toronto's waterways across the city.
