Great Port Cleanup 2025 Recap

Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful celebrated the 5th Annual Great Port Cleanup on April 11, 2025!

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On April 11, 2025, Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful hosted the 5th Annual Great Port Cleanup, proudly presented by Port Tampa Bay. This large-scale cleanup brought together 1,423 volunteers across 33 different sites, including four public locations and 29 corporate or private group sites throughout the port and surrounding waterways. This year’s event saw a massive collective impact, with volunteers removing 113,261 pounds of litter and debris, including 43,000 pounds of invasive plants and 105 pounds of recyclables.

 

Armed with gloves, bags, and teamwork, volunteers filled 2,145 trash bags and pulled an array of unusual items from the shoreline and water—everything from a grill and shopping carts to industrial pipes and even a Watergoat. The Great Port Cleanup continues to be a vital initiative in preserving the health and beauty of Tampa Bay's maritime ecosystems, and we’re incredibly grateful to our partners, sponsors, and dedicated volunteers who made this effort a success.

 

Looking ahead to 2026, Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful is excited to expand the Great Port Cleanup initiative beyond Tampa Bay to other ports across Florida, amplifying our impact and engaging even more communities in the fight against marine debris.