A trash-collecting machine powered by a water wheel and solar panels has prevented hundreds of tonnes of plastic and other garbage from Panama from littering mangroves and the ocean

A trash-collecting machine powered by a water wheel and solar panels has prevented hundreds of tonnes of plastic and other garbage from Panama from littering mangroves and the ocean. All kinds of trash flow down rivers running through Panama City and end up on the coastline of the Central American nation. To combat the pollution, the nonprofit Marea Verde Foundation installed a machine called Wanda two years ago to collect and separate trash for recycling. "We've captured 256,000kg of waste that would be in the mangroves and sea if it had not been for Wanda," said Laura Gonzalez, the foundation's executive director. The garbage is stopped by a barrier across the Juan Diaz River that runs through Panama City before several workers separate the waste, which is sent by a long conveyor belt to a huge container to be recycled. Wanda also has solar panels in case the hydropower system that harnesses the energy of the river current fails. No other river in Panama has a similar system, so tonnes of garbage continue to reach the sea. The country's coastal mangroves are a vital resting place for hundreds of thousands of migratory birds, but pollution and urban growth pose a serious threat. Experts estimate that 30% of Panama City's garbage goes uncollected, and that around 100,000 tonnes of the country's waste end up in the sea every year. When it rains, rising waters carry away garbage that is often dumped on riverbanks in slums of the city of 1.4 million people. "We're working hard every day to ensure that this waste does not reach the shore," Ezequiel Vargas, leader of the crew that operates Wanda, said. "Sadly, the garbage arrives constantly every day," he said.

https://www.thestar.com.my/lifestyle/living/2024/11/21/meet-wanda-the-machine-that-collects-and-separates-trash-for-recycling