A new trash rack in Lake Macquarie is trapping plastic bottles and bags, aluminium cans and other waste before it hits the city’s waterways.
The device – one of the largest in Australia – has been installed on Winding Creek at Glendale after the discovery of large amounts of waste trapped within mangroves downstream.
Lake Macquarie council stated it was one of several Stormwater Quality Improvement Devices (SQUIDS) installed throughout the city.
Environmental assessment and compliance officer Jason Parsons said the device used specially-designed ‘vanes’ to divert debris into a containment cell, while not affecting water flow.
In rain events, that cell fills with water but, at other times, the water level subsides, allowing for easier rubbish removal.
“The former trash rack was 25-years-old and didn’t effectively capture gross pollutants or sediment,” Mr Parsons said.
The Winding Creek catchment includes the suburbs of Glendale, Macquarie Hills, Cardiff, Cardiff South, Cardiff Heights and Hillsborough, with water draining into Winding Creek and eventually flowing into Lake Macquarie.
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