Page 10 - Mid America Boating - June 2023 issue

Ohio successfully deploys

innovative litter capture
JUNE 2023 [ MID-AMERICA BOATING ] 10
technologies to remove and

divert plastic pollution from

the Great Lakes

Thanks to a partnership with the binational Council of the Great Lakes Region (CGLR)
through the Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup, a joint initiative of CGLR and Canada-based Pollu-
tion Probe, as well as generous funding and support provided from Meijer, a midwest retailer,
Ohio Sea Grant plans to deploy two litter capture and clean-up devices, a BeBot and a Pixie
Drone, at Hinckley Reservation and Fairport Harbor Beach, as well as other locations along
the Ohio coast, in collaboration with local partners, Cleveland Metroparks, Lake Metroparks,
Eriesponsible, Cuyahoga Community College Youth Technology Academy, Argonauts, and region. The project will collect and analyze the litter in order to generate valuable data that
Port of Cleveland. will help coastal communities and the region learn about and prevent plastic litter and pollu-
“The opportunity to work with project partners in Ohio to expand the Great Lakes Plastic tion and protect the Great Lakes now and for future generations.
Cleanup to the United States, thanks to funding from Meijer, is an exciting partnership,” “It’s a privilege to live near the Great Lakes, and it’s one we don’t take for granted, which
said Mark Fisher, president and CEO, Council of the Great Lakes Region. “Through this new is why we are taking steps to protect them,” said Erik Petrovskis, director of Environmental
collaboration, we will be able to capture and clean up more plastic litter in the Great Lakes, Compliance and Sustainability at Meijer. “Meijer was the first retailer to support the innova-
as well as educate coastal communities about how we can work together to reduce, reuse and tive technology in the Great Lakes last year, and thanks to our ongoing relationship with the
recycle material waste.” Council of the Great Lakes Region and local NGO partners like Ohio Sea Grant, we’re able to
The Great Lakes region makes up 84% of North America’s surface freshwater; providing expand our hands-on efforts to ensure their viability for generations to come.”
water for 107 million residents, and habitats for thousands of species, many unique to the A media and launch event was held on May 19 at Cleveland Metroparks Hinckley Reserva-
region. Keeping this vital water resource clean and free of litter is essential, yet the Great tion. The event was held outside on the beach. Demonstrations of the equipment in use as
Lakes face an alarming waste and plastic litter issue. Models estimate as much as 22 million well as some remarks about the project took place.
pounds of plastic could be entering the Great Lakes every year through a variety of sources The collaboration of the Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup, Meijer, Ohio Sea Grant, Cleveland
and pathways, polluting the lakes and their surrounding watersheds — something that will Metroparks, Lake Metroparks, Eriesponsible, and Cuyahoga Community College, is a step in
cost hundreds of millions of US dollars annually to combat. the right direction toward combating our region’s plastic pollution problem and securing a
In April 2022, Meijer, a Midwest retailer, donated $1 million to the Council of the Great more sustainable future.
Lakes Region’s charitable arm to clean up beaches and waterways with the purchase and “Ohio Sea Grant is very excited to be facilitating the project here in Ohio. Marine debris
use of a 100% electric, eco-friendly beach cleaning robot that mechanically sifts sand beach is one of the most pressing issues facing Lake Erie. The opportunity to be part of such an
cleaning robot called the BeBot and a floating, remote-controlled, mobile waste collector innovative project with support from Meijer and Council of the Great Lakes Region, in part-
called the PixieDrone, the single large deployment of these technologies in the Great Lakes nership with Cleveland Metroparks, Lake Metroparks, Eriesponsible, Cuyahoga Community

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