Posted on March 23, 2026
More than 100 people gathered at Baltimore’s Harborplace on Saturday afternoon to appear in a music video for Mr. Trash Wheel. Jonathan Jensen of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra first wrote and performed the song, titled “The Hero of the Harbor,” in 2021 as an ode to the group of anthropomorphic waste-collecting water wheels scattered around Baltimore’s waterways. Since then, the tune has become the semi-official anthem of the wheels and a constant earworm for those who spend their days tending to and spreading awareness about their impact. Plans to film a music video for the song have been in the works for nearly a year and culminated Saturday with filming that featured a band performing aboard the wheel as fans gathered along the harbor. “It’s fun, but also a little bit educational,” said Chelsea Anspach, a spokesperson for the Waterfront Partnership. “[The song] talks about Mr. Trash Wheel eating the trash in the harbor, and it gets people really excited.”
