Telepeer

Four Roomba-like rovers are cleaning waterways in Port of LA

March 25, 2026

A fleet of robotic vessels has been busy the past few weeks scooping up debris in the Port of Los Angeles before the trash flushes into the open ocean.

Similar efforts have already been deployed in Huntington Harbour and Newport Harbor, with thousands of pounds of trash removed from Southern California waterways using the Roomba-like devices, with hopes that the low-maintenance method will catch on in harbors across the country.

The four Clean Earth Rovers in the Port of Los Angeles were launched in January, with the goal of removing tens of tons of debris over the next year throughout the port’s 15 marinas. Already, an estimated 2,000 pounds of trash have been pulled out of the water.

America’s ports and harbors are among the final checkpoints for pollution that washes from streets throughout the region, down storm drains and into coastal waters, according to CEO and co-founder Michael Arens.

“These pollutants have large impacts on marine ecosystems, local tourism, and the waterfront communities that depend on clean ports, beaches and harbors,” he said.

Michael Arens, founder and CEO of Clean Earth Rovers, prepares to deploy remote control vehicles to sweep trash from the surface of the water in San Pedro, CA, on Monday, March 23, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

1 of 15

Expand

Clean Earth Rovers, a Southern California startup that launched in 2019, is doing the work alongside Environment California and the Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment as part of a lawsuit settlement with the city of Los Angeles over alleged violations of the federal Clean Water Act.

The city, as part of the settlement, agreed to pay $1.3 million to the Rose Foundation to work as a liaison for projects to restore the harbor and San Pedro Bay, with the majority of funds earmarked for a multiyear project to remove trash from the bay, improving water quality.

“Trash and plastic pollution, be it windblown or deposited through stormwater discharges, is a problem for harbor areas everywhere, and it seems likely that the rovers are poised to make a significant difference,” said Jodene Isaacs, director of grantmaking for the Rose Foundation.

Arens, who lives in Costa Mesa, created the company with Chief Operating Officer David Constantine while they were students at Xavier University in Cincinnati, where the company is now headquartered. They have a second office in San Pedro.

Using the technology in San Pedro and Wilmington shows the community that Los Angeles is committed to clean water for everyday users and visitors to enjoy, Arens said.

“The debris that enters these waterways is an accumulation of debris from communities all throughout Orange (County) and Los Angeles County,” Arens said. “Beach cities see the magnitude of debris and are charged with removing it after heavy rain and winds that flush trash into our beaches and harbors. Our job is to intercept as much of it as possible before it reaches the open oceans.”

Clean Earth Rovers’ autonomous surface vessels are able to wedge into hard-to-reach areas for debris hot spots that build up where traditional tools or people can’t reach, the company advertises.

They are navigated by a remote control or cellphone and are operated by a small team of field staff made up of local university students and recent graduates supporting the cleanup operation, according to a news release.

Not only are the machines collecting debris, but they are also gathering data at the 15 marinas within San Pedro and Wilmington to help identify pollution hot spots, anticipate seasonal trends, and direct resources to where efforts are needed.

“There is a good bit of data collection,” Arens said. “We take photos of the entire marina basin, and we’re basically able to see the trends, time of day, tide, water, where trash is more likely to be and what the hot spots are in the geographic areas. We are collecting valuable data that, for the long term, can be beneficial. It’s beneficial for us because it makes us more efficient.”

A typical outing in the port has been collecting an estimated 200 pounds to 400 pounds of trash. Each bag attached to a rover can hold about 150 pounds of floating debris. A rover can clean 25 acres in eight hours on a single charge.

In addition to being controlled by a remote, the machine has the ability to use autonomous software to perform sweeping patterns. A bag is towed behind where all the debris is stored and taken to trash bins. Once it completes its mission, it returns to where it was launched.

When a rover comes across fish or wildlife, it is programmed to scoot away, same as with boats, company officials said.

It only takes one person to launch from a ramp, crane or water’s edge, and trash can be emptied in five minutes with reusable bags.

The technology has given the Newport Beach Harbor Department new tools to better understand water conditions and the ability to respond quickly and effectively, Harbor Master Paul Blank said in a statement.

“These systems complement our mission to keep Newport Harbor clean, safe, and well-enjoyed for everyone,” Blank said. “We are especially pleased to see nearby harbors incorporating these tools into their efforts to improve water quality for the whole region.”

Clean Earth Rovers charges about $300 for a full-service visit, which includes delivering a rover, handling the trash after a cleaning and collecting data on what’s been removed. A machine from Clean Earth Rovers costs about $30,000 to own and operate independently.

Newport Beach purchased its rover from the company and trained harbor staff to deploy the robot. Operations are also taking place in Florida and Cincinnati.

A pilot project in Huntington Beach was extended into a three-year contract. The one unit in Huntington Harbour typically brings in about 50 to 150 pounds of trash per outing, twice a week.

“That has really been the cornerstone, the foundation for us to show our success in a single concentrated region and present that to other stakeholders and coastal communities to say, ‘This is what we can do for you,’” Arens said.

The Port of Los Angeles fleet is the largest the company has built for a single operation, he said. The yearlong effort will have an annual review, with an option to renew each year.

Plastics make up most of the debris, with water bottle caps being the most commonly found item, Arens said.

“They are just tiny pieces of plastic people seem to lose easily; they are all of our water,” Arens said. “They are small enough that even a small fish could ingest it.”

For people living on boats or conducting activities on the water, it can be frustrating to see trash all the time, Arens said.

“Seeing that there’s something being done about it is encouraging for a lot of people,” he said.

Four Roomba-like rovers are cleaning waterways in Port of LA Orange County Register

News Details

Four Roomba-like rovers are cleaning waterways in Port of LA

News

CONTACT INFO

QUICK LINKS

SERVICES

CURRENT NEWS