Glenwood Landing, NY- One Long Island town is the first in the nation to try out a new device on the water to collect litter. On Thursday, Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino, Councilman Lou Imbroto, Councilwoman Laura Maier, Councilwoman Vicki Walsh and Town Clerk Rich LaMarca joined with local environmental groups to unveiled two new floating litter traps called ‘Colec’Thor’, at Tappen Marina in Glenwood Landing.
Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino said the ‘Colec’Thor’ devices will “strengthen the ecosystem” and can collect up to “220 pounds of floating debris in just one cycle”.
According to a press release from the Town of Oyster Bay, “The ‘Collect’Thor,’ a silent, motorized waste collector which attracts and engulfs all solid or liquid waste floating on the water surface, was obtained by the Town through a grant from the Long Island Sound Futures Fund. The Town was selected by Cornell Cooperative Extension, in partnership with Friends of the Bay, The Waterfront Center, The Oyster Bay/Cold Spring Harbor Protection Committee, and Oyster Bay High School…., Collec’Thors, the latest in marine debris collection technology, have been deemed the most efficient trash skimmers available for marine and coastal usage. They are specifically designed to target solid and liquid waste, including plastic bottles, cigarette filters, butts and packaging, microplastics and hydrocarbons. The technology uses a small pump to draw in surrounding water and skims any floating trash into its receptacle. The mechanism adjusts with the tide and is easily affixed to a floating dock or waterfront location.”
Photo: Courtesy of the Town of Oyster Bay- Town Councilwoman Laura Maier, Cornel Cooperative Extension Executive Director Vanessa Lockel, Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino, Town Clerk Rich LaMarca, Town Councilwoman Vicki Walsh and Town Councilman Lou Imbroto with the new high-tech Collec’Thor at Tappen Marina.
By Brett Levine