The removal of litter from stormwater conduits in the developing world

As the less developed countries (LDC's) become more developed, they have experienced an exponential growth in the production of urban litter. Unfortunately few of these countries have the infrastructure to cope with the removal of this litter, and as a result it tends to end up in the water courses. Grids cannot be placed over stormwater inlets for fear of blockage and consequential flooding. Once the litter has entered the drainage system it is difficult to remove. This paper summarises the results of three years of laboratory investigations sponsored by the Water Research Commission of South Africa into the movement of urban litter through potential trapping structures. The results show substantial agreement with those of an independent investigation carried out in Australia. It concludes that declined self-cleaning screens show the greatest promise for the removal of urban litter from most stormwater conduits and streams in the LDC's.