Detroit Plans To Use New Litter Cleanup Robot On Belle Isle Beach

DETROIT — A new robot will help human volunteers clean up litter on Belle Isle's beach this month, according to city officials.

Officials plan to launch the robot, "BeBot" on Earth Day, April 22, as part as of the Belle Isle Conservancy's environmental campaign, Keep Belle Isle Beautiful.

The Bebot is capable of retrieving litter across 32,000 square feet per hour, including cigarette butts, plastics, food wrappers and bottles, according to city officials.

"By harnessing the power of BeBot, we are taking proactive steps to combat litter pollution and preserve the beauty of Belle Isle for generations to come," Tim Slusser, Detroit's Office of Mobility Innovation chief, said in a news release.

The Bebot has already been tested on multiple Great Lakes beaches in Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin and also on Belle Isle Beach in Detroit, according to city officials.

Officials are still trying to secure future funding to add another Bebot, as well as a PixieDrone, which is a remotely operated floating waste collector that would be used in local waterways, according to city officials.

It cost between $80,000 to $90,0000 for another Bebot and up to $70,000 in partner funding for a PixieDrone, according to city officials.

"Since 2017, the Belle Isle Conservancy has educated thousands on the dangers of single-use plastic, removed upwards of 40,000 pounds of littered plastic pollution from Belle Isle and its waterways, and collaborated with local artists and designers to reuse waste collected at our cleanups to create and exhibit visual narratives around sustainability," Director of Sustainability and Advocacy for the Belle Isle Conservancy Genevieve Rattray said.

"We are excited to work in partnership with the City of Detroit, Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the CGLR Foundation to foster innovation and innovative technologies as we continue to protect and preserve our natural resources and make critical movement towards adopting the principles, practices and policies of a circular economy," he added.

The project is a collaboration between the City of Detroit, the Belle Isle Conservancy, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, CGLR Foundation, The Clorox Company and Meijer as part of the bi-national Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup.