A new vessel has joined Parks Victoria’s efforts to keep the Yarra open, safe and clean, with Geoff the Automatic River Cleaner welcomed for a six-month trial.
District Manager at Parks Victoria, Sarah Eggleton said the newly arrived vessel would be moored in Melbourne’s CBD and complement the Agency’s existing litter traps on the Yarra and Maribyrnong Rivers.
“Geoff is an innovative new system that we’re hoping will increase the amount of rubbish we can take out of the river, particularly in places where our litter traps can’t be used,” Ms Eggleton said.
She said the vessel had a distinctive, old-fashioned looking water wheel that drives a conveyor belt to collect rubbish and solar panels to provide power when the current was low.
“The water wheel means that as the river runs faster, the conveyor will also run faster and collect debris quicker,” Ms Eggleton said.
“Floating debris is captured by two floating boom arms and guided towards the conveyor belt mouth.
“The conveyor deposits the rubbish in a bin, which is monitored by cameras (powered by the solar panels) and notifies rangers when it’s full.”
She said that when Geoff’s bin was full, it could be floated to the shore and replaced.
Ms Eggleton said Parks Victoria was intercepting as much rubbish as possible before it reached Port Phillip Bay, with the litter traps helping to protect Victoria’s precious marine ecosystem, including the Bay’s marine protected areas.
