
Campaign to fund Leeds canal litter-eating drone a success
A spokesperson for LWG said the money had been raised thanks to the efforts of 12 business sponsors who stumped up £24,000, and more than 400 donations from the public, which raised £21,000.They said the funds would allow the drone to bag an additional 4,500 litres of rubbish per year.Operated directly by a human controller, the drone, which is reportedly the only one of its kind in the UK, is equipped with GPS, collision avoidance technology and a camera, to avoid posing a risk to wildlife or other water users.If objects are too large for it to "swallow" the WasteShark is also capable of manoeuvring them to the side to be removed manually. Mr Ellison said: "We want to say a massive thank you to everyone who has shown their support, particularly our sponsors, who will not only be providing funding, but also helping us spread the message about keeping our waterways clean and protecting our local environment."He added: "WasteShark is unique to our city and it's hugely gratifying to know that so many people share our desire to continue making a difference at a local level."
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