City of Tampa Solid Waste Continues Bead-Free Bay Campaign Initiatives in 2025 News General, News Solid Waste As parade goers prepare to catch their treasure at the Gasparilla[...]

As parade goers prepare to catch their treasure at the Gasparilla Children's Parade, Tampa's Department of Solid Waste is urging all pirates to take all unwanted beads to designated collection sites through the Bead-Free Bay initiative.

This will divert them from Tampa's waste stream and put them back to good use for next year.

Starting Monday, January 27 through May 2025, Gasparilla revelers are encouraged to take unwanted beads to any of the following collection sites during their normal operating 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.

To help our efforts in collecting beads for reuse, please only drop off beads alone with no other miscellaneous items like costumes, props, or general trash.

The Bead-Free Bay initiative reminds the public that throwing plastic beads and other litter in the water is prohibited under federal law and Florida Statute 403.413. Beads are incredibly harmful to our environment and pose serious threats to marine wildlife. They never decompose and take a thousand years to break down into smaller pieces called microplastics, which remain persistent in natural ecosystems for hundreds of years or longer.

The Bead Reuse Program was created in partnership with the MacDonald Training Center, a local non-profit working to empower people with disabilities. Beads are cleaned, repackaged, and reused during the next parade season, all while providing valuable, vocational skills gained by the training center's clients.

From the program's inception in 2018, the MacDonald Training Center has processed over 20,750 pounds of beads with the help of Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful volunteers and city staff so they can be sanitized, repackaged, and reused.

"We encourage all our pirates to give back their loot through the Bead Reuse Program," said Mayor Jane Castor. "Over recent years, Tampa pirates have been more generous than we thought and have turned in thousands of pounds of their treasure. I'm hoping maybe this year we can set a record."

Bead-Free Bay, a campaign in partnership with the Florida Aquarium, Green Gasparilla, Pirate Water Taxi, Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla, Krewe of Sant 'Yago, and others.

Help by doing your part and making sure your beads get reused.

For additional information on the Bead Reuse Collection Program, please visit our website at www.tampa.gov/BeadFreeBay .

Customers are encouraged to download the Tampa Trash and Recycling app on the Apple and Google Play Stores to receive real-time updates on service schedules. For any questions or concerns, customers may contact the City of Tampa Utilities Call Center at (813) 274-8811 or visit the website at http://www.tampa.gov/solidwaste .

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