Drone app maps plastic litter on beaches

A University of Limerick team developed an app that uses drone imagery and machine learning to detect plastic on shorelines and provide GPS coordinates for targeted clean-ups, and the system has been tested in Ireland and in pilot programmes in several other countries.

Plastic litter is visible on many shorelines and local groups regularly clear beaches. Researchers at the University of Limerick developed a system that uses drone imagery and machine learning to detect plastic on beaches and provide GPS coordinates. The platform accepts footage from ordinary drones, processes it on standard laptops, and displays flagged locations in a free mobile app. The system has been tested with community groups in Ireland and in pilots across several other countries. Key facts: - A UN estimate cited in the article says 19–23 million tonnes of plastic enter lakes, rivers and seas each year. - The University of Limerick team combined drone surveys and computer-vision models to map plastic on shorelines and return GPS locations via a mobile app. - Pilots involved five community groups in Ireland, distribution of over 30 drones to partners, and use in nine countries engaging more than 2,000 people. - Community groups reported that drone-derived GPS coordinates changed how volunteers locate litter, and pilot testing in some locations averaged about 30 plastics spotted per ten-minute flight. Summary: The project links aerial monitoring to community clean-ups and produces data used by local authorities and partners to understand litter patterns. It is being expanded through the EU-funded BluePoint project and further pilots and research are ongoing.