Drones Helping to Keep Beaches Clean
© Searial-Cleaners.com
Presque Isle State Park is a 3,112-acre state park in Millcreek Township, Pennsylvania, along Lake Erie. As one of 121 Pennsylvania State Parks, Presque Isle State Park sees 4 million visitors yearly, making it the most visited state park in Pennsylvania. It has 13 beaches, a marina, and 21 miles of recreational trails. The park is open year-round for various recreational activities, with the summer months being the busiest time as people flock to the park’s beaches. Unfortunately, like nearly all beaches, Presque Isle State Park has seen an increase in litter accumulation over the years.
Plastic waste, in particular, has become a major issue on beaches worldwide. The world’s oceans are polluted with 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic waste. Research has found that nearly 269,000 tons of that waste are floating on the surface of the water. Each year, millions of pounds of trash are washed up onto beaches. Further complicating the problem is waste left on beaches that gets washed out into the ocean. For years, organizations like Ocean Conservancy have launched volunteer-based programs to clean up waste on beaches. Now, with drone technology, beach cleanup has the tools necessary to make a change.
Poralu Marine was founded in 1984 as a producer of nautical equipment in France. From the company’s start, they have strived to develop nautical equipment that focuses on environmentally friendly processes. Today, they are leaders in the production of aluminum port facilities. As stewards of the ocean, Poralu Marine launched The Serial Cleaners in 2021 as a way to tackle the huge task of keeping beaches and oceans clean. As stated on their website, The Serial Cleaners’ mission is to “Make waste collection easy and normal for all coast stakeholders – starting with everyday citizens, and with them, all those who hold positions of responsibility: elected officials and public & private managers. Make picking up waste an automatic civic reflex that will help protect our ecosystems.”
To achieve this mission, The Serial Cleaners rely on drone technology. Two of their cleaning products are the PixieDrone and BeBot. The PixieDrone is an amphibious drone that can be remotely or autonomously operated. Using cameras and LiDAR, the drone glides along the water’s surface to collect waste. It can be used in salt, fresh, or brackish water and has a 6-hour operational time. With a 160-liter trash collection capacity, the PixieDrone is ideal for use in marinas, ports, and harbors.
The BeBot is an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV), a drone that drives itself along the sand to collect trash. As explained by The Serial Cleaners, “BeBot screens sand, rakes seaweed, levels out expanses of beach, and lifts and carries loads. It collects all waste buried in the defined area. BeBot announces its presence, meaning it is completely safe, and it can also cope with steep terrain. It protects plant and animal life as well as the sand as it screens. BeBot is 100% electric and emits no harmful gases or greenhouse gases. Its quiet running means it can operate at any time of day or night without restriction.”
This past June, The Serial Cleaners held a demonstration of the PixieDrone and BeBot at Presque Isle State Park’s Beach 7. The demonstration was part of the Pennsylvania Lake Erie Environmental Forum. A little over 20 people were on hand to witness the drones, which were remotely operated by Gautier Peers, a sales and partnership associate from The Serial Cleaners. Matt Green, Presque Isle State Park Operations Manager, truly appreciated the efficiency of the drone. “Our current cleaning methods with the beach rake that we use are pretty good, but this goes to another level,” Matt said. “The BeBot really takes much smaller pieces of plastics, which, obviously, as plastics are in the surf, they get broken down further and further to the point where they become microplastics.” He goes on to say, “It is a problem that is compounding and compounding, and any way we can kind of work with this BeBot or other systems out there to remove these plastics from the system…the better off we’re going to be.”
The innovative technologies of The Serial Cleaners represent a promising step forward in the ongoing battle against ocean pollution. By integrating advanced drone technology into beach cleanup efforts, Presque Isle State Park and other coastal areas can significantly enhance their waste management practices. As more organizations and communities embrace these solutions, there is hope for a cleaner, healthier environment. “With the technology, we can mitigate the problem. We can’t solve the problem” Gautier said. It is through such proactive measures that we can safeguard our natural resources and ensure that future generations inherit pristine beaches and oceans. The collaboration between technology and environmental stewardship exemplifies how we can turn the tide in the fight against plastic pollution.
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