Partnering for a cleaner Port of Long Beach

Community News

Los Angeles, California, environment, foundation, logistics
MPLX dock from an aerial view
  • The Port of Long Beach, California, is supporting an effort to reduce debris in the port with devices that collect trash from the surface of the water. 
  • Marathon Pipe Line installed two electric trash skimmers that continuously draw in water and trap debris.
  • The skimmers are collecting roughly 500 pounds of trash every two weeks, and the port has agreed to handle disposal. 

The Port of Long Beach, California, is collaborating with a tenant on a 24/7 approach to collecting debris in the water. Marathon Pipe Line (MPL), a component of Marathon Petroleum’s midstream segment, MPLX, recently installed two electric trash skimmers at its dock in Terminal 2, and the port agreed to pick up the trash for disposal at a reduced cost.

“The skimmers are attached to the dock. They float and go up and down with the tide, using a system similar to a swimming pool skimmer to suck in trash,” said Marathon Petroleum Advanced Emergency Preparedness Professional Court Hemerick. 

Skimmer with debris floating inside
The trash skimmers are attached to the dock and use a system similar to a swimming pool skimmer to move water and retain debris.

The skimmers have taken MPL’s trash collection efforts at the port to new heights. In the past, employee volunteers would conduct an annual trash cleanup around the dock in Terminal 2. Teams would spend hours manually gathering debris, accumulating as much as 500 pounds of trash during each year’s effort. The skimmers are now gathering more than 500 pounds every two weeks.

Each device has a 120-volt motor that allows for continuous operation, moving more than 300 gallons of water a minute. Floating debris is retained in a bin that is six-feet wide and four-feet deep. 

“By helping to make the port cleaner, we know we are eliminating potential hazards for aquatic birds in particular. This illustrates our company’s commitment to environmental stewardship and making investments that help protect biodiversity.”

“The skimmers can each hold roughly 120 to 130 pounds of trash. Currently, employee volunteers from MPL engineering, maintenance and operations, as well as our emergency preparedness group, are helping manage this effort,” Hemerick said. “It takes one to two people to scoop out the trash into bags, using nets, and then dispose of the bags in a dumpster.”

Before and after images show the impact of using the skimmers, which can each hold as much as 130 pounds of trash before they need to be emptied.

The skimmers build on MPL’s existing sustainability initiatives in California, which include financial support for International Bird Rescue. This global conservation nonprofit has care centers in Los Angeles and San Francisco that help respond to wildlife emergencies, providing day-to-day care for aquatic birds that are injured, sick, abused or orphaned.

Debris floating in the water
The skimmers are gathering more than 500 pounds of debris every two weeks and are powered by 120-volt motors that allow for continuous operation.

“Reducing debris in the water goes hand-in-hand with wildlife conservation,” said MPL Region Manager Tim Hayes. “By helping to make the port cleaner, we know we are eliminating potential hazards for aquatic birds in particular. This illustrates our company’s commitment to environmental stewardship and making investments that help protect biodiversity.”

A sign which is posted by MPL announcing the affiliation with International Bird Rescure
Marathon Pipe Line’s installation of the skimmers corresponds with its financial support of International Bird Rescue, a global conservation organization that provides care for aquatic birds that are injured, sick, abused or orphaned.