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- Solid waste collection and disposal using hydraulic and solar energy, Panama
Solid waste collection and disposal using hydraulic and solar energy, Panama
Panama
last update:
2 weeks agoProblems
Pollution of Juan Díaz river
The Juan Díaz is one of the most polluted rivers in Panama. The river's waste has darkened its waters, from cans and discarded plastics to bags full of organic garbage. The Juan Díaz River watershed extends nearly 322 square kilometers and comprises several medium- and small-sized rivers within the Panama and San Miguelito Districts. Before emptying into Panama Bay, the river flows through mudflats and mangroves—critically essential ecosystems that protect coastal communities, foster incredible biodiversity, buoy local fishing and ecotourism industries, and sequester carbon. Panama Bay is host to significant biodiversity, which in turn supports socio-economic activities including fishing and ecotourism. Nearly a thousand humpback whales from the Northern and Southern hemispheres visit Panama Bay yearly to nurse their young. Designated a RAMSAR site, or Wetland of International Importance, the bay is also a vital staging site for more than 20 species of migratory shorebirds. But with hundreds of thousands of people living in the Juan Díaz watershed, tons of land-generated trash flows into the bay annually.
Solutions
Renewable energy-powered trash wheel
Author: Clean Current Coalition
Wanda - an acronym for ‘Wheel and Action’ - is the first sustainable wheel in Latin America to capture floating garbage. Designed by Clearwater Mills in Baltimore, USA, the trash wheel is a groundbreaking innovation in the growing effort to control trash and debris flowing from waterways into the ocean. Marea Verde and Clearwater Mills have adapted the system to the Juan Díaz River's specific characteristics, including adding an extended conveyor belt to carry the captured waste directly to a shoreside sorting center. The device, affectionately nicknamed “Wanda (Wheel + Action) Diaz,” operates on mechanical power supplied by a water wheel rotated by the river current. It also has solar panels as a backup energy system. A floating boom spans the river to direct waste to the device, which is then lifted out of the water by the wheel-powered conveyor and deposited into a container for appropriate waste disposal. Recyclables will be manually separated from the non-recyclables before reaching the container and carried to an on-shore sorting facility via a transverse conveyor. Data is collected on the processed material, and recyclable plastics are collected by local waste management and recycling partners. Marea Verde is also partnering with the Panamanian and Silicon Valley start-up Wisy to develop an object recognition artificial intelligence (AI) system to classify and measure plastic waste as it is conveyed out of the river. Marea Verde is taking a pronged approach to raise awareness about Wanda and reduce plastic waste in the Juan Díaz River watershed. One of these approaches is Local community engagement through focus groups, workshops, and seed capital to community leaders for pilot recycling projects. Another approach is through collaboration with strategic partners to increase media impact, including events, use of traditional and social media, exhibits, artwork made of plastic, and a children’s book to be distributed in the Juan Díaz River watershed schools at no cost. During the initial phases of community outreach, an overwhelming majority of women and youths became involved in the project and expressed interest in recycling, Wanda, and making a difference in their communities.
Source: https://cleancurrentscoalition.org/coalition-projects/juan-diaz-river-panama/
Gallery
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Timelines
2022
December
The Wanda Díaz device had collected over 22 1.3-cubic-meter bags of plastic bottles. The device’s camera system also contained images of the waste, analyzing and categorizing the data for educational use and influencing policies for waste management.
September 22
The environmental group Marea Verde launched Wanda Diaz (trash wheel) in the Juan Díaz river basin, drenched by heavy rains, propelling plastic bottles and containers into Wanda's mechanical arms. Fueled by hydraulic and solar energy, the wheel collects vast amounts of waste produced in Panama City's capital, with a metro population of around two million.
2021
A scientific report revealed that rivers send up to 300 metric tons of plastic per hour into the ocean worldwide. Some scientists estimate that as much as 12.7 million metric tons of plastic have entered the ocean yearly since 2015.
2019
Marea Verde trash trap technology was rolled out in the Matías Hernández River. As of December that year, more than 10,000 garbage bags had been collected, equivalent to more than 70 tons of trash - including refrigerators, trolleys, suitcases, etc.
2017
Marea Verde, a non-profit organization that focuses on creating awareness and taking action to mitigate pollution from solid waste in the rivers and coasts of Panama, was formed. They have developed clean-up initiatives in the Matías Hernández, Juan Díaz, and Tapia Rivers and have implemented education campaigns with local schools and awareness campaigns for sustainable alternatives for solid waste management.