Mechanical beach cleaning refers to the use of mechanical equipment, like tractors and other machinery, to keep the beach clean. Examples include a sift that goes deep into the sand and sifts out all debris left in there. Another option is a rake. It does not go that deep into the sand, but instead rakes up all the debris that is left on the beach surface like plastic bags and seaweed. These methods however do have a big impact on the environment, as the machines can be quite disruptive to the ecosystem. Using a beach cleaner is very expensive, but also very effective in removing all litter from the sand.

Alternative cleaning practices form a separate group that includes a large variety of cleaning practices, both with large as well as small impacts on beach management. Each of these factors can be tweaked by municipalities according to what is most fitting for a certain type of beach. The types of alternative cleaning methods that are most profound within the paper are explained below. A list of all factors that influence beach management can be found on the page "Options".

The first alternative method to manage anthropological waste on beaches is using the 'zoning' method. Zoning can be applied in multiple ways. First of all, an area can be closed off to visitors, permanently or for a certain time of the year, resulting in a lower necessity of cleaning. The second way zoning can be used is by implementing no-smoking zones. This way cigarettes (the most common trash on beaches) won't end up in the sand. To compensate for this, smoking corners can be implemented where people can go smoke, and safely dispatch their cigarettes in the trash.

The second method is by starting the use of a variety of new technologies coming up in the following years that makes use of AI and robots. These robots will eventually be able to pick up trash from the beaches. These technologies will also be able to distinguish between anthropological trash and wrack. This forms an efficient way of cleaning, which requires lower manual labour than manual cleaning. Therefore, investments in these technologies by municipalities might be an interesting option for the future!

However, not all cleaning techniques require a futuristic perspective. Simple actions can make a difference as well! Examples of the actions municipalities can take could be adding more trashcans on the beach, changing the timing of the great beach cleanup which is normally early on in the spring, changing the frequency of cleaning so that it corresponds with the number of visitors or adjusting the holes in the sieves used for cleaning of the beach. These are only a few of the factors that can be changed by municipalities to adjust beach cleaning management to the type of beach properly. An overview of all of the options addressed in the paper and the decision tree that can be tweaked by municipalities can be found on the page "Options".