During the fourth annual Great Port Clean-Up, a record number of volunteers collected more than 100,000 pounds of trash, a 20,000 pound increase over last year’s total! This year, 1,072 volunteers collected 2,536 43 gallon bags worth of trash, preventing it from entering the waters of Tampa Bay. The event took place the Friday after Earth Day, April 26, 2024. The annual clean-up is hosted by Port Tampa Bay, the Propeller Club of Tampa Bay and Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful.
Port partners and other dedicated community volunteers safely removed trash and marine debris from 36 sites in and around our port. In addition, 38,278 pounds of invasive plant species were removed. While the majority of this debris originated from outside of the port, the Port Tampa Bay maritime community is dedicated to doing their part to eliminate marine debris and support trash-free waters in Tampa Bay.
In 2021, the first-ever Great Port Clean-up won the American Association of Port Authorities’ Lighthouse Award of Excellence for Environmental Enhancement and served as a model for seaports throughout the Western Hemisphere. Additionally in 2022, Port Tampa Bay was honored with the top environmental honor from Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful for making a significant impact to their mission and received the Outstanding Partnership Award from Keep Florida Beautiful. Each year the event continues to grow, as we involve the maritime industry and members of the public.