TAMPA, Fla. — The pirates have sailed off from Tampa Bay and it's now time to clean up the mess left behind after all the Gasparilla fun. 

What You Need To Know

  • Thousands of pounds of trash are generated at Gasparilla every year. 

  • Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful, in partnership with the City of Tampa, led a cleanup on Sunday. 

  • Volunteers picked up bottles, cans, beads and other litter along Bayshore Boulevard. 

  • Starting Monday, residents can drop off unwanted beads at various collection sites as part of the city's Bead Reuse Program.

Thousands of pounds of trash are generated during the event every year. On Sunday, hundreds of Tampa residents went on a treasure hunt of their own to pick up all the litter left behind. 

“Gasparilla just is always the kind of pinnacle of Tampa events and so to be able to give back today after just an awesome community event yesterday, to make this tradition keep happening each year,” said volunteer Chris Allen.

Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful leads this cleanup event every Gasparilla season, in partnership with the City of Tampa. 

Volunteers met at four sites throughout the city and made their way down to Bayshore Boulevard to help restore the parade route. Even the youngest of helpers lent a hand, like Allen’s 3-year-old son. 

“I think it’s important, especially when they’re young, to learn to serve the community,” he said. “I think it instills a lifelong of giving back that way.”

Volunteers found lots of bottles, caps, cans, of course, beads. While a staple to Gasparilla, beads can be harmful to marine life. They take a thousand years to break down into microplastics, which never decompose, according to the city’s Department of Solid Waste & Environmental Program Management. 

Like Allen, Lianne Parr wanted to show her 4-year-old daughter how to care for the environment so future generations can enjoy it. 

“We all come to live in Tampa Bay for a reason,” Parr said. “Part of the reason is how beautiful it is and how much we enjoy getting to be outside. So, as much as we have fun at Gasparilla, it’s important to help clean up afterwards so we can enjoy it again tomorrow.”

Volunteers said the cleanup was a lot of hard work, but rewarding to know it is making a difference. 

The City of Tampa also collects beads to donate to the MacDonald Training Center, a non-profit that works with people living with disabilities. The beads are cleaned and re-packaged for future events. Over the past few years, the Bead Reuse Program has helped keep 10,000 pounds worth of beads out of Tampa’s waterways, according to the city. 

You can drop off unwanted beads at the following locations during normal business hours:

  • Kate Jackson Community Center – 821 S Rome Ave.
  • Loretta Ingraham Recreation Complex – 1611 N Hubert Ave.
  • Copeland Park Center – 11001 N 15th St.
  • MacDonald Training Center – 5420 W Cypress St.