By Angie Sullivan
The BeBot, a litter cleaning robot, made his debut performance right here at Sibbald’s Point Provincial Park on Monday, June 23. The Zamboni-like waste collector patrolled Sibbald’s beaches till the end of June and has moved on to Inverhuron Provincial Park for July.
The remote-controlled technology sifts through the sand and removes debris like plastic, glass, metal, and paper before it can enter the water. The BeBot is part of the Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup initiative led by Pollution Probe, which currently operates at more than 225 locations across the Great Lakes.
According to their website, the Great Lake Plastics Cleanup has removed more than 2800 pieces of plastic from Lake Simcoe already, including foam, film pieces and hard fragments.
“The five Great Lakes make up the largest freshwater system in the world, and working to protect them from plastic pollution is critical to ensuring their long-term health and that of the incredible array of ecosystems and wildlife found across the region.” said Melissa DeYoung, CEO, Pollution Probe.
The BeBot can clean up to 3,000 square metres per hour for up to eight hours on a single charge. It sifts down four millimetres below the surface, removing debris like wrappers, bottles, cigarette butts, and broken-down plastic fragments — the kind often found along Lake Simcoe’s shores.
While removing litter is its main job, DeYoung said the robot’s tour across the province also aims to encourage people to reduce waste.
“Sometimes people think we don’t have an issue because they can’t spot that plastic in the water,” said DeYoung. “So having this technology that’s highly visible out on the beach invites people to come in and discuss what we’re doing.”
The Bebot is patrolling our beaches in collaboration with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks.
Andrew Dowie, parliamentary assistant to Environment Minister Todd McCarthy, said the Ontario government has provided almost $1 million to Pollution Probe’s efforts to tackle plastic pollution around the Great Lakes since 2021.
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