Every day we can see the effects of the pollution. Keeping the environment safe and clean guarantees healthy life, for us and for the animals and plants surrounding us. That is a task that all of us should have in our to-do list.
A great story comes from Australia. The city of Kwinana is fighting the pollution of the environment with a fairly simple installation. In other words, the city authorities have installed a filtration system in Henley Reserve by using net. The net itself is placed on the outlets of the drainage pipes and in that was the plastic and the debris is kept inside, letting water pass through it. This is a very cleaver and simple way of keeping our surroundings clean and free of plastic other harmful materials.
People very quickly saw the benefits of this installation. The trash that usually goes in the nature is huge and after this new installation people see drastic changes. They are now aware that with simple tools the contamination of the environment can be stopped.
Even the authorities were quite surprised by the success of the nets. Their expectations were way too low in comparison to the caught 800 pounds of garbage in just a few weeks. The work paid off.
Therefore, the success of these nets in Henley Reserve made the authorities think about installing such nets all over the city. The goal is to minimize the pollution of the environment. Compared to the more sophisticated filtration systems, this net installation costs some $10.000 and that makes it quite profitable.
The process goes like this. After the installation of the nets on the outlets, the nets are gradually being filled in with garbage. As soon as the nets are full, they is loaded on trucks specially used for this purpose so they can be transported to trash-sorting places. The recyclable materials are kept and the process of recycling starts.
When the net is emptied and the garbage transported, the nets are reinstalled on the outlets. The process starts all over again.
Kwinana proved that with small efforts, minimum budget and willingness to protect the environment, we can do miracles. This an idea that many other cities should take into consideration.
Photo sources: © Old Castle Infrastructure, © Storm Water Systems, © CITY OF KWINANA / FACEBOOK