Dear Friends,

Last week I had the chance to go visit a wonderfully innovative and tremendously effective ‘trash interceptor called a “Clap Trap.” The Clap Trap is photographer Roberto De Souza’s invention and can be found stationed at Fowle Brook, one of the waterways that flows into Horn Pond. The Clap Trap intercepts trash before it enters the pond.

Outfitted in waterproof boots and coveralls, Roberto can be found nearly every day wading in the brooks and streams, collecting the trash that accumulates in the Clap Trap, as well as the trash found along the banks of the Pond.

The trash comes from  visitors to the pond and also from the city.  All manner of  plastic, especially soda bottles and nips, are carried by storm drains, eventually making their way into the Pond’s waterways.

Roberto is a passionate advocate for wildlife. His photos are beautiful and stunning while his images of wild creatures entangled in fishing lines and lures profoundly disturbing. The photos drive home the urgent need for we all to be better stewards of our environment.

People began taking notice after Roberto began displaying the trash as art. There is a temporary exhibit of just a fraction of the trash collected at the pond, adjacent to the interceptor. Roberto’s Trash Interceptor also prompted the city to place trash barrels around the pond.

The Clap Trap is located on Fowle Brook, near marker 7

The Clap Trap is made of recyclable materials. Two of Roberto’s sculptures made from recycled trash are on display at the Woburn Public Library, along with lots more more information about the Horn Pond Trash Interceptor.Courtesy Photo