The Gold Coast’s famous beaches are set for a deep clean with the arrival of the City’s newest beach cleaning tractor, dubbed the ‘Barber’.
Mayor Tom Tate said the new and improved beach tractor would leave no stone unturned, cleaning to a depth of six inches.
“Our City staff are dedicated to keeping our beaches clean and healthy, with 35 kilometres of coastline on the mainland swept routinely between midnight and sunrise,” he said.
“We regularly remove items such as bottles, debris that has washed ashore, cans, disposable cups and plates, thongs, fast food wrappers and straws from our beaches.
“The new machine will also have the capability to pick up smaller items such as bottle caps, syringes and cigarette butts.
“Our beaches are famous for being so clean the sand squeaks – so let’s keep them squeaky clean for future generations to enjoy,” said Mayor Tate.
The ‘Barber’ will cover approximately 2.7 hectares an hour, an area roughly the size of the playing field at Carrara Stadium.
The City’s original beach cleaner, the ‘Beach Drum’, has been in use for 20 years and will remain in action primarily on southern beaches.
The ‘Beach Drum’ was developed by the City and was based on a potato harvester.
Approximately 25 cubic metres of litter is removed from Gold Coast beaches every week.
