Robots Deployed at Port of Los Angeles to Remove Tons of Trash from Waterways

Dozens of robots are cleaning the waterways at the Port of Los Angeles to remove trash and prevent pollution from reaching the open ocean.

The semi-autonomous robots, developed by Clean Earth Rovers, operate like vacuum cleaners on the water, skimming the surface to collect debris. Each robot can pick up to 200 pounds of trash per trip, which is then disposed of in local trash cans and dumpsters.

In the last three months, the robots have collected over a ton of trash from the port. They are expected to remove five tons of trash over the next nine months as part of an ongoing cleanup effort.

The robots are navigated either by remote control or follow pre-planned paths to canvas marinas and ports across the facility. According to Michael Arens, co-founder of Clean Earth Rovers, the dynamic nature of waterways means trash can shift location quickly, requiring adaptive cleanup strategies.

These waterways are really dynamic so if you take too long or you move too slow, sometimes you may have seen trash in one spot but by the time you get there it’s already moved to another location.

Michael Arens, co-founder of Clean Earth Rovers

Really think about what throwing something away means. It might be away for you, but the item still exists and it’s going to end up somewhere.

Michael Arens, co-founder of Clean Earth Rovers

Clean Earth Rovers also collects and records data during operations to track progress and improve future deployment strategies. The robots have been deployed twice a week at the port as part of the current cleanup schedule.

Similar robotic cleanup efforts have already been implemented in Huntington Harbour and Newport Harbor, where thousands of pounds of trash have been removed from Southern California waterways using the same Roomba-like devices.

The four Clean Earth Rovers operating in the Port of Los Angeles were launched in January 2026 with the goal of removing tens of tons of debris over the next year across the port’s 15 marinas. As of late March 2026, an estimated 2,000 pounds of trash had already been pulled from the water.

Ports and harbors serve as final checkpoints for pollution washing from urban streets through storm drains into coastal waters. Preventing debris from entering the open ocean helps protect marine ecosystems, local tourism and waterfront communities that rely on clean beaches and harbors.

The robots are part of a broader initiative to address water pollution using autonomous technology, combining environmental cleanup with real-time data collection to support long-term harbor maintenance and pollution prevention.