Newtown Creek Gets New $42 Million Trash Catchers, Says DEP

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK — Newtown Creek just got new $42 million garbage catchers, the city announced Tuesday.

Four Newtown Creek strainers — designed to direct litter toward a (very romantic) wastewater treatment plant and out of one of the nation's most polluted waterways — have been installed after three years of construction, according to the Department of Education.

The underground devices can now begin pulling trash out of Newtown Creek near 47th Avenue and 29th Street, Rust Street and 56th Drive, Troutman Street and Saint Nicholas Avenue and at 455 Johnson Ave., officials said.

Litter will be directed toward the Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant where it can be collected and hauled to nearby landfills, said DEP officials.

“The residents of East Williamsburg and Greenpoint have experienced decades of environmental neglect, making this a much-welcomed solution to an endemic problem,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams in a statement.

“Protecting the environmental integrity of Newtown Creek is critical to ensuring Brooklyn’s waterways and ecosystem are beautified for future generations to come.”

The Bronx River and the Gowanus Canal were also given similar junk catchers that have caught more than 500 tons of trash, officials said.

Photos courtesy of the Department of Environmental Protection/Flickr