Meijer Expands Partnership with Council of the Great Lakes Region

Retailer Meijer has strengthened its commitment to cleanup efforts and stewardship of the Great Lakes by expanding its partnership with the Council of the Great Lakes Region Foundation to help further the council’s Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup Program.

Since 2022 Meijer has donated over $1.5 million to help fund and expand the deployment of litter capture and clean-up technologies — the BeBot and Pixie Drone — to 18 new locations along Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin lakeshores. BeBot is an eco-friendly and remote-controlled electric (solar and battery powered) beach cleaning robot, and Pixie Drone navigates through marinas and other waterways to collect waste as a floating remote-controlled water drone.

“It’s a privilege to live near the Great Lakes, and it’s one we don’t take for granted, which is why we’re continuing to take steps to protect them,” says Erik Petrovskis, director of Environmental Compliance and Sustainability at Meijer. “Meijer was the first retailer to support the innovative technology in the Great Lakes last year, and thanks to our ongoing relationship with the Council of the Great Lakes Region and local NGO partners, we’re able to expand our hands-on efforts to ensure their viability for generations to come.”

Last year, Meijer kicked-off its participation in the Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup Program at Pere Marquette Beach and a nearby marina in Muskegon by helping to fund cleanup efforts the resulted in the collection of 6,130 items.

“These lakes represent a fifth of the world’s surface freshwater, and our partnership with CGLR has already contributed to their conservation,” continues Petrovskis. “But there is more work to be done and these innovative technologies will help in that effort.”

“We are thrilled to be continuing and growing our partnership with Meijer, a sustainability leader in the Great Lakes region, to ensure our beaches and waterways are free of plastic litter,” adds Mark Fisher, CGLR President & CEO. “The work we are doing will not only protect the health of these vital waters for generations to come, the data collected will help us drive change when it comes to recycling and building a future without consumer waste.”

To learn more, visit meijercommunity.com/sustainability.