CLEARWATER, Fla. — Monday starts a weeklong cleanup in Clearwater.

Volunteers will be out for “The Big Cleanup” at various locations like the beach, downtown, and local parks.

Volunteers will pick up trash at 50 sites over the course of the week. Organizers say these events benefit the entire community.


What You Need To Know

  • "The Big Cleanup" starting Monday across Clearwater

  • Volunteers will be picking up litter at 50 locations across the city this week

  • Register to volunteer

“Did you know that over 80 percent of litter originates on land and ends up in our waterways?  Well, how does it get there?  It gets there through our storm drain system and it ends up in our rivers, our lakes, our ponds, our streams, our ocean, our gulf, so it's very important for us to realize everyone has impact on the community they live in,” said Pat DePlasco with Keep Pinellas Beautiful.

Keep Pinellas Beautiful is one of several organizations that came together to host “The Big Cleanup.”

After a rough year battling Red Tide, officials say it’s important to get our beaches in tip top shape now to bring back tourists and support the local economy.

“People are the reason why we have Red Tide in the first place.  It's because of the excess nutrients that go into our waterways that cause this, so we can be the solution to this problem. It's a great opportunity to get people to come to cleanups like this and other types of activities to help improve the environmental health of our paradise because they learn why it's so important to do so,” said DePlasco.

The main cleanup event is on Saturday. If you want to participate, you do need to register by Tuesday.