TAMPA, Fla. — After two weekends of Gasparilla celebrations — it’s time for a clean restart in preparation for next year’s big event.

Sunday, the City of Tampa kicked off its bead re-use program. More than 10,000 pounds of waste including beads have been collected and diverted from Tampa’s waterway system.

Hundreds volunteered with Keep TAMPA BAY Beautiful for this year’s cleanup including students from the Jesuit High School.

“If we don’t take care of our water and the community we live in, it’s not going to be the kind of place we want to live in,” said Teacher Mrs. Vindri Gajadhar.

That’s the exact lesson Gajadhar hopes her students learn. Many are part of the Jesuit Environmental Club.

“Anything you don’t pick up is going to be washed into the Bay,” she shared.

Students started at Kate Jackson Park and walked all the way to Bayshore Boulevard to collect waste.

For the Bead Re-use Program, The City of Tampa has partnered with the MacDonald training center, a local non-profit working to empower people with disabilities.

The beads are cleaned, repackaged, and reused the next parade season.

“All of our volunteers know that’s not my trash, but I’m gonna pick it up because I want a clean community,” said Event Coordinator Kristina Moreta.

Mrs. Gajadhar says she’s also teaching her students about being active citizens.

“Hopefully they will take this away with them and have great memories of being apart of their Tampa community.

They can continue on even after they graduate. This doesn’t have to be through school. There are so many people here from the community that come out as volunteers because they care.”

She says her students are volunteering their time now, so future generations can enjoy everything that makes Tampa Bay unique and beautiful.