City of Tampa Clean-up Crews Set Sail at Dawn to Restore Tampa After Gasparilla Invasion News General, News Solid Waste, News Special Events Coordination After the[...]

After the swashbuckling pirates stormed the City of Tampa and the cannon fire has quieted, the real work begins. The City of Tampa's Department of Solid Waste & Environmental Program Management, in partnership with the Departments of Parks and Recreation, Neighborhood Enhancement, and Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful (KTBB), will embark on a massive clean-up mission along Bayshore Boulevard and the surrounding areas after the legendary Gasparilla Parade.
Clean-up crews, including over 400 volunteers from KTBB, will hoist their brooms and trash bags early Sunday morning. They will swiftly remove litter and debris left by Tampa's pirate festivities and help prevent debris from entering Tampa's waterways. Just hours before their arrival, City of Tampa Solid Waste drivers and crews will work from 3 a.m. Saturday morning to 1 a.m. Sunday morning to set out trash and recycling containers and collect and dispose of trash left in bins along the parade route.

"Across many City departments, the hard work extends into the following week to make sure Bayshore Boulevard returns to a clean and safe public space for everyone.", said Larry Washington, Director of the Department of Solid Waste.

As part of the City's commitment to sustainability, the Bead Reuse Collection Program will continue to encourage paradegoers to repurpose their beads, preventing the shiny trinkets from ending up in storm drains or polluting the Bay.

For more information on the Bead Reuse Collection Program and volunteer clean-up efforts, visit www.tampa.gov/BeadFreeBay.