Most debris removed from a waterway by a trash interceptor

The most debris removed from a waterway by a trash interceptor is 2,019.54 tons (1,832.09 tonnes). This was achieved by Mr Trash Wheel, a waterwheel-powered trash interceptor located at the mouth of the Jones Falls River in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, between May 2014 and December 2023. Mr Trash Wheel is operated by the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore (USA).

This total includes both natural and man-made floating debris. According to the WPB's estimates (based on random sampling of the material pulled from the river), this haul likely included some 1,246,155 plastic bottles, 898,129 food wrappers and 545,554 shopping bags. The debris removed had a volume of 7,331.3 m3 (258,903 cu ft) and filled 629 full-size dumpsters.

The Jones Falls River flows down from the northern suburbs of Baltimore, running alongside Interstate 83 for much of its length. Mr Trash Wheel is located at the mouth of the river, where it flows into Baltimore's Inner Harbor.

While there's still significant variation from month to month (due to storms washing debris and garbage into the river), the overall volume of material collected by Mr. Trash Wheel has been steadily declining. This is the result of public education efforts and improvements to street cleaning services in the Baltimore area.