SpillTech AS, a Norwegian company developing environmental technology products, offers a new solution for collecting waste from the water surface in the ports, writes GreenPort.
PortBin is based on a customised oil spill technology and works as a weir-type skimmer for floating garbage in ports’ “trash coves”. It creates a suction on the surface that allows collecting waste in a 30-litre container, which is then emptied manually when needed. You can see a short video above showing PortBin at work. Four ports in southern Norway already use this solution.
“Our goal is to collect most of the waste and encourage the adoption of a simple, effective cleaning tool that will bring environmental and social benefits,” said Trond Lindheim, manager of SpillTech, the Sandefjord-based company specializing in oil spill recovery equipment.
“An important aspect of the development work has been to ensure that the equipment is easy to handle, and yet robust enough to withstand the environment. This is most crucial because, even inside a port, seawater, wind and waves can provide quite harsh conditions,” added Mr. Lindheim.
The waste collector is run by onshore power. Beta tests were carried out earlier this year and PortBin is now being used in several ports, including Kristiansand, Bergen, Baerum and Sandefjord and Copenhagen.
The automated waste collector PortBin was created in cooperation with the Port of Sandefjord and with the backing of Innovation Norway, the government’s fund for supporting innovation and development projects.
SpillTech is now looking to collaborate with Norwegian and international municipality and private sector organisations and industry partners who can explore further applications of this technology.
