Canada Introduces Solar-Powered Robot to Clean Beaches and Combat Plastic Pollution
By hanif sabir
Published: 10 Aug 2026
2 min read
Canada Introduces Solar-Powered Robot to Clean Beaches and Combat Plastic Pollution
OTTAWA: Canada has introduced a solar-powered, fully electric remote-controlled robot to remove plastic and other waste from beaches, combining shoreline cleanup with environmental research and public awareness efforts.
According to The Weather Network, the BeBot robot operates along beaches in the Great Lakes region, sifting sand to collect plastic fragments, food packaging, cigarette butts and other debris. The screened sand is then returned to the beach.
The robot can clean around 3,000 square metres of beach per hour and is capable of removing waste from up to about four millimetres below the sand surface. More than 43,000 pieces of waste have so far been collected and classified from Great Lakes beaches using the technology.
According to Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup, around 32,500 pieces of plastic and other debris weighing more than 42 kilograms were collected from various locations in the region in 2025. Estimates suggest that around 10 million kilograms of plastic enter the Great Lakes each year.
Melissa De Young, chief executive of environmental organisation Pollution Probe, said the BeBot is particularly useful because it can clean sandy beaches where conventional waste-collection technologies are less effective.
She said the robot’s purpose extends beyond removing waste, as its presence also helps raise public awareness about plastic pollution. People often stop to watch the robot and learn how plastic waste reaches the lakes.
The report said the presence of small plastic particles and microplastics in the Great Lakes remains a concern for researchers. Data collected so far indicates that Lake Ontario has consistently recorded higher average levels of plastic pollution than the other four Great Lakes.
The BeBot is also being used alongside the remotely controlled PixieDrone, an aquatic drone designed to collect floating waste from the water surface. Together, the technologies are being used to tackle plastic pollution both on beaches and in the surrounding waters.
