The removal of urban litter from stormwater conduits and streams: Paper 2 - Model studies of potential trapping structures

A large quantity of urban litter is finding its way into the drainage systems to become an eyesore and a potential health hazard. Although much effort has been expended on the development of trapping devices, most of the traps currently installed are extremel y ineffective at trapping and storing urban litter, There was thus a pressing need for a physical model study into the design of litter traps. Such a study was carried out in the hydraulic laboratories at the Universities of Cape Town and Stellenbosch. It clearly showed why most designs fail, and clearly identified the use of declined screens as an approach that holds considerable promise for the future, The findings broadly concur with the results of a similar model study that was recently carried out in Australia.