Is there a trash receptacle in your town that has its own fan fest? Probably not. What about googly eyes? Yeah, that’s a new one for us, too. We’re excited to be profiling such a unique trash collection innovation on this week’s Public Works Radio.

It’s called Mr. Trash Wheel, and it’s a trash collecting waterwheel in Baltimore with trademark googly eyes, and it’s now 12 years old. The infrastructure has grown to four different trash wheels throughout the area and it’s nothing short of innovative, with the capability of gobbling up 500 tons of litter and debris each year.

It’s also gone viral several times, like the time it caught a python. The idea began when Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore, a local nonprofit in Maryland, wanted to improve the health and water quality of Baltimore’s harbor.

Joining us this week is Adam Lindquist, the Vice President of the Waterfront Partnership, and Chelsea Anspach, who serves as the Senior Manager of Outreach and Engagement with the nonprofit, to discuss this technology that was the brainchild of inventor John Kellett.

It has become a cultural icon in Baltimore and beyond, and according to Adam, none of this could have been pulled off without their close working relationship with the Baltimore City Department of Public Works. Even the nearby Public Works Experience museum in Baltimore has been instrumental with support.

And as Chelsea puts it best, “the subject of trash can be depressing, but Mr. Trash Wheel makes it really hopeful.”

The end result is the perfect mix of entertainment, community service, social engagement, and data collection that’s actually been used to shape legislation and inspire art projects. And other communities around the globe have taken notice, with similar initiatives being replicated around the world.

Public Works Radio is hosted by Bailey Dickman, Senior Digital Marketing Specialist with APWA. Each episode dives into a wide range of topics designed to educate and inspire, making public works more visible to everyone, from the general public and elected officials to industry peers and the media. If you haven't already, please subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, rate and review the show, forward it to a friend, and drop us a note at podcast@apwa.org so we can hear your feedback directly!

More Show Notes and Resources

Mr. Trash Wheel website: https://www.mrtrashwheel.com/ Mr. Trash Wheel on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrtrashwheel/ About the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore: https://www.waterfrontpartnership.org/ Viral YouTube video of Mr. Trash Wheel in a rain storm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5l7s6wC50g Public Works Experience museum: https://pwexperience.org/ Baltimore City Department of Public Works: https://www.baltimorecity.gov/publicworks Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory: https://bosl.ucsb.edu/

When natural or manmade disasters hit a community, public works is uniquely positioned to fast-track its return to normalcy. Public works professionals know which roads flood first, the domino effects of debris that clogs ditches, and how infrastructure failures will ultimately impact safety. Through careful documentation, they thread the needle in telling the story of what the community has been through, which can usher in state and federal assistance and facilitate faster overall relief.

Tyler Hill serves as infrastructure projects manager for Boone County Public Works in Kentucky, and he's logistics section chief for the Kentucky Incident Management team. He's also vice chair of APWA's Emergency Management Committee. As he outlined in his June 2026 APWA Reporter article (linked below), and discusses during this week's edition of Public Works Radio, effective disaster recovery and debris cleanup hinge on key factors, such as creating relationships that must be in place well in advance of the days they are needed most.

Another critical theme coming out of this conversation with Tyler is just how vital public workers are as first responders when it comes to disaster relief, strategic cleanup, and bringing back some calm to a community during and after the chaos of a life-altering event.

Public Works Radio is hosted by Bailey Dickman, Senior Digital Marketing Specialist with APWA. Each episode dives into a wide range of topics designed to educate and inspire, making public works more visible to everyone, from the general public and elected officials to industry peers and the media. If you haven't already, please subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, rate and review the show, forward it to a friend, and drop us a note at podcast@apwa.org so we can hear your feedback directly!

More Show Notes and Resources

Public Works Radio Episode No. 4 “The Movement to Recognize Public Works Professionals as First Responders”: https://www.apwa.org/resource/the-movement-to-recognize-public-works-professionals-as-first-responders/

APWA Reporter Article, “Damage Assessments in Public Works: Where Recovery Begins”: https://apwa.partica.online/reporter/june-2026/features/damage-assessments-in-public-works-where-recovery-begins

APWA Emergency Management Committee: https://www.apwa.org/group/emergency-management/

APWA’s Focus on Emergency Management resources: https://www.apwa.org/education-careers/focus-on-public-works/focus-on-emergency-management/

APWA Natural Hazard Checklists covering response to tornados, hurricanes, wildfires, flooding, earthquakes, ice storms, and civil unrest: https://www.apwa.org/resources/resource-center/?_search=checklist

Tyler may be reached via email at: Thill@boonecountyky.org.

Boone County (KY) Public Works: https://www.boonecountyky.org/services/public_works/index.php

While it may be true there are more women in public works than there used to be, deeper questions still remain.

This week on Public Works Radio, the official voice of the American Public Works Association (APWA), we're joined by two individuals whose decades of passion for this line of work serve as inspiration to the next generation of young women ready to break into this field and lead it forward: Roby Whitehouse and Shannon Williams, PE.

Roby is the Assistant Public Works Director in Yarmouth, Massachusetts, a town she's been serving for nearly 30 years. For Roby, leadership didn't come from a single, predictable path. It came from years of hands-on experience across several areas of public works, including cemeteries, facilities, highway, parks, and waste management.

Shannon serves as Principal Engineer for Keller Associates in Salem, Oregon. She's worked in some form or fashion related to public works for 27 years. During this time, managing projects in everything from roads and bridges to dams and levees, wastewater/stormwater, and hazmat, she's learned a lot about asserting herself and owning her work.

Join us for a vibrant conversation with two respected public works professionals who just happen to be women. They’ll share how they got here, the challenges of working in a male-dominated field, nontraditional paths to leadership, and what changes when the workforce starts to look a little bit more like the communities it serves.

Public Works Radio is hosted by Bailey Dickman, Senior Digital Marketing Specialist with APWA. Each episode dives into a wide range of topics designed to educate and inspire, making public works more visible to everyone, from the general public and elected officials to industry peers and the media. If you haven't already, please subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, rate and review the show, forward it to a friend, and drop us a note at podcast@apwa.org so we can hear your feedback directly!

More Show Notes and Resources

APWA’s Workforce Development Committee: https://www.apwa.org/group/workforce-development-committee/

CareerZone’s Career Paths tools and resources: https://careerzone.apwa.org/career-paths

Roby Whitehouse on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roby-whitehouse-b587a346/

Shannon Williams, PE, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-williams-pe-b737a422/