Harbour Hoover ‘Hugo’ is here to clean up this town's marina
Rotary Guernesiais, in collaboration with Guernsey Ports, has raised funds to install a new port bin in the Victoria Marina.
The new port bin – named Hugo by eight-year-old Olivia Boyd – is the first of many port bins for which the charity is looking to raise funds.
‘It was one of our members who saw them in a port in the UK and thought it would be a good idea to have them here,’ said Helen Salisbury, president of Rotary Guernesiais. ‘We raised £7,200 and could buy it with additional funds from Guernsey Ports.’
The plan is to get more of the bins around the ports. Rotary Guernesiais hopes that the community and local business would be prepared to sponsor more bins.
The port bins work by sucking in water and any rubbish in the marina using an electric pump. The baskets collect any rubbish and will be emptied by Guernsey Ports staff once or twice a day, depending on how much rubbish is collected.
‘Our marinas are in a town environment, so as you would expect, any rubbish from boats ends up in the marina,’ said Mike Harris, assistant harbour master.
‘We are hoping to get one in each corner of the marina.’
Other than emptying, the port bins need very little maintenance and should last eight to 10 years.
The port bins also do not affect any fish swimming in the harbour, as they tend swim away and the pump is not very strong.
Olivia, who named the first port bin, said she had named the bin after Victor Hugo.
‘With it being like a hoover for the marinas, she wanted an “H” name, so we went through them all and she chose Hugo after Victor Hugo,’ explained her mum Amanda Bishop.
‘We entered the Facebook competition and she was so excited she had been chosen to name it.’
Olivia said she had enjoyed being able to switch on the new port bin.
