BEBOT cleans up the beach in South Lake Tahoe

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The BEBOT, short for “beach robot,” was at Conolley Beach in South Lake Tahoe on Friday, showing why it is becoming a big tool in the beach-cleaning toolbox at Tahoe.

The all-electric, solar, and battery-powered, beach-cleaning robot is wrapping up its second summer of sifting through the sand at Lake Tahoe, removing small debris, bits of litter and plastics as it moves through beaches.

On Friday, the City of South Lake Tahoe teamed up with the League to Save Lake Tahoe and ECO-CLEAN Solutions, the owner of the BEBOT, to clean at Conolley, the beach behind the Tahoe Beach Retreat.

The BEBOT can clean through 32,000 square feet per hour without harming the native flora and fauna or degrading the habitat at the beach. The BEBOT’s work is crucial to preventing microplastics and pollution from entering Lake Tahoe where they can severely impact the water quality and clarity of the lake and the lake’s ecosystem. Once microplastics enter the lake, they are nearly impossible to remove. Across two summers of pilot testing, the BEBOT has proved it can serve as the last line of defense to keep beach litter out of Tahoe’s blue waters when used in combination with traditional cleanup efforts.

The City used environmental improvement mitigation funds from the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) to fund the robot's beach cleanup on Friday.

“The City of South Lake Tahoe is excited to partner with the Beach Retreat, ECO-CLEAN Solutions, and the League to Save Lake Tahoe in a joint effort to protect the lake. Microplastics continue to be a huge concern for Lake Tahoe, and we need to do everything possible to prevent any further harm. This new and innovative technology to clean beaches helps us move in the right direction to preserving Lake Tahoe and reinforces the City’s commitment towards promoting a culture of stewardship,” said John Stark, director of Parks and Recreation.

Friday, ECO-CLEAN Founder and CEO JB Harris was working the BEBOT, and JB's dad Bobby Ray Harris was helping to sort through the trash picked up off the beach. The permit from TRPA requires the operators to put back any rocks that BEBOT removed in order to keep the beach natural. The first run of BEBOT on the beach picked up glass, flip tops, a big screw, cigarette butts, and plastic tips from a Tiparillo.

JB said BEBOT has been tried around the lake and interest from around the country is coming in, especially after the trashed beach at Zephyr Shoals on July 4 hit the news cycles. Next, they will be testing it in Florida, Santa Cruz, Sonoma, Malibu, and San Diego. JB said no matter where they go there will be rules and regulations, but with Tahoe being highly regulated, other places should be easy to obtain permits.

JB and Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer JT Chevallier are childhood friends raised in Las Vegas, but both now call the Lake Tahoe area home. They found BEBOT in France in 2021 at a company called Seariel Cleaners. The French company specializes in innovative products including bubble barriers and fixed and mobile waster collectors.