Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Cigarette butts, discarded food wrappers, pieces of plastic – all items people wish to avoid when their at the beach with their toes in the sand.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources says thanks to new technology – a beach-cleaning robot known as BeBot, people will be seeing less trash at many state park beaches.

BeBot is an advanced method of managing litter that is electric-powered and remote-operated and has the ability to cover 32,000-square-feet per hour.

Several state park beaches are now using the BeBot including the Brighton Recreation Area; Cheboygan and Petoskey state parks, further north in the DNR's Gaylord District; and Belle Isle Park in Detroit.

The DNR says the BeBot has already proven its effectiveness in removing and studying the sources and pathways of plastic litter on Great Lakes beaches in Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

More information is available in the provided link.

DNR Photos: BeBot & Brighton Rec Area