The Perfect Reuse - From Sunken Crane to Art

The Perfect Reuse - From Sunken Crane to Art

 

The story of recycling is often amorphous. One buys a can of soda and then throws it in a recycling bin and hopes it is reused.

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But no one ever really knows.

 

This time, we know. The sunken barge and crane that has been recovered from the Providence River is being reused.

 

 

 

 

In collaboration with The Steel Yard, materials recovered from the crane and the barge’s hull will be transformed into art.

 

The removal project is funded by a grant of more than $1.5 million from the NOAA Marine Debris Program. The project removed an estimated 400,000 pounds of marine debris.

 

Since January, contractors have been recovering the submerged barge and crane and offloading it to the Sims facility on Allens Avenue. The recovery is now complete.

 

 

"Sims Metal is pleased to assist RIDEM and the City of Providence in the removal of approximately 400,000 pounds of large marine debris from a sunken steel-hulled barge that has been in the river since 2017. This barge has presented a significant navigational hazard and environmental and safety risks for nearby residents,” said Mike Kiwanis, Director of Operations of the Providence facility. “We’re also proud to support the transfer of some of this metal to The Steel Yard, where materials recovered from the barge’s hull will be repurposed for community-informed art. In doing so, we fulfill our mission to recycle and reuse, working toward a world without waste."

 

 

Stay tuned to see finished art created at the Steel Yard in Providence.