Barrie debuts waste-collecting drone to combat Lake Simcoe pollution

Barrie unveils water waste collector drone A remote-operated drone that will remove floating debris from Lake Simcoe was unveiled in Barrie on Thursday.

The City of Barrie unveiled a new way of cleaning garbage out of Lake Simcoe with the help of a waste-collecting drone.

On Thursday morning, City officials and members of Pollution Probe introduced the PixieDrone, a remote-operated drone that removes floating plastic, paper, and other debris from large bodies of water.

"It's very exciting," said Christopher Hilkene, CEO of Pollution Probe. "It's like a whole new era in the fight against plastic pollution."

The PixieDrone can remove up to 160 litres worth of debris at a time through its front receptacle and navigates with the help of its forward-facing camera.

The Barrie Marina is the first in Canada to pilot the drone technology through the Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup, an initiative of Pollution Probe and the Council of the Great Lakes Region.

In addition to the PixieDrone, the two environmental organizations also previously provided the City with Seabins that trap garbage along the marina's docks.

"We're already collecting, on average, about 76 pieces of trash from Lake Simcoe in Barrie each day," said Mayor Alex Nuttall. "This partnership represents a powerful step forward in our shared mission to protect the environment and preserve the natural beauty of our City and Lake Simcoe."

MPP Doug Downey says lake pollution remains a big concern for the province and hopes the PixieDrone can help keep Lake Simcoe clean.

"I love it. I love innovation, and we're protecting our heritage value of our water and our surroundings," said Downey. "Pollution Probe is doing a fantastic thing here in coordination with Barrie, and it's going to help all of us."

The PixieDrone will continue operating until the marina closes for the season in late October.

The City says it will evaluate how much debris the PixieDrone collects to its usage for 2025, adding that it will be heavily relied upon leading up to and following major events along the waterfront.