New technology tackles waste pollution in Norwegian ports

Four ports in southern Norway are now using a new, Norwegian-developed technology to collect waste from the water surface, as the country’s ports suffer increasing littering that impacts water quality.

The dubbed PortBin Fixed, an automated waste collector for use in ports’ “trash coves”, was created by SpillTech and developed over the past year, in cooperation with the port of Sandefjord and with support from Innovation Norway.

    “There is too much waste floating around in Norwegian ports. 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, ” notes Trond Lindheim, manager of SpillTech, the Sandefjord-based company behind the new technology.

As explained, the waste collector works on the principle of weir-type skimmers, creating a suction on the surface that allows it to collect waste in a 30-litre container, which is then emptied manually when needed.

    “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 key because, even inside a port, seawater, wind and waves can provide quite harsh conditions,” said Mr Lindheim.

The idea is that waste collectors can be placed in “trash coves ” in or around the ports. Trash coves are areas where current, wind, and tide accumulate floating waste, explains 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, Bærum and Sandefjord. Also, PortBin is being deployed in the port of Copenhagen.

SpillTech is looking to collaborate with Norwegian and international municipality and private sector organisations and industry partners who can explore further applications of this technology.