SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
Following the busy Fourth of July weekend, many of Lake Tahoe's beaches were trashed.
8,500 pounds of trash were left at Lake Tahoe following the holiday celebrations, according to the League to Save Lake Tahoe (Keep Tahoe Blue).
In collaboration with Ecoclean solutions, the League has introduced the use of a beach cleaning robot by the name of BeBot.
“This is a robot that is remote control operated, solar panels supported, and it's four-feet wide, and it goes up to four inches under the sand. It picks up debris and litter that is a quarter of an inch and larger,” said Marilee Movius, senior community engagement manager.
BeBot plays a key role in sifting through the sand and collecting trash that is difficult to pick up by hand and helps keep it out of the lake.
"It's really important that we get this litter out of the sand because these are small pieces of trash, like cigarette butts or broken down plastics. And this is really the last effort before it makes its way to the waters,” said Movius.
Once the robot sifts through the sand and collects the trash, the contents are sifted through by hand and the organic matter that is collected is returned to the environment. The work done by the robot, along with other cleanup efforts, is just part of the overarching goals of the League to Save Lake Tahoe.
"We focus on the top contributors to the impact the lake's clarity. This is urban stormwater runoff, pollution, invasive species and bad development. So our team works to advocate for the lake collaborate with agencies educate, and also host volunteer opportunities," said Movius.
WATCH ALSO:
