MIAMI \u2014 April is Earth Month, with Earth Day coming up next Wednesday. As an act of love for the planet and Biscayne Bay, thousands of volunteers turned out over the weekend to pick up trash littering Miami-Dade\u2019s backyard during Baynanza.<\/p>\n
The massive countywide cleanup is now in its 44th year, arriving at a critical time for Biscayne Bay, which is at a dangerous tipping point.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t forget, water is life. Wooo!\u201d Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said.<\/p>\n
Across 33 sites in Miami-Dade County, more than 3,000 volunteers stepped up to do their part to help save the bay.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt matters a lot. It\u2019s our community, it\u2019s our Earth,\u201d said Laura Gagliardo, a volunteer with Blackstone.<\/p>\n
Baynanza 2026 spans shorelines across local waterways and even inland areas, tackling the wave of litter that ultimately ends up in the bay and ocean.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeautiful bay. Lot of garbage. I don\u2019t know who can do this to this beautiful place,\u201d said Miami Beach volunteer Marina Spisiak.<\/p>\n
At a site along the north shore of the Julia Tuttle Causeway off Miami Beach, organized by VolunteerCleanup.org, volunteers were shocked to find the area covered in trash.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just very sad that we have become so irresponsible and so unaware, thinking that\u2019s not going to affect us,\u201d said volunteer Maria Rovzar.<\/p>\n
Much of the debris comes not only from careless visitors, but from trash carried into the bay itself — pounds of litter flowing in from across Miami-Dade.<\/p>\n
Eighty percent of all marine debris comes from land-based sources. That means every plastic bag, every plastic water bottle, plastic cup, Styrofoam container that gets thrown out a car window or litter on the street — every time it rains, that gets washed into our storm drain system, into our canals, and into Biscayne Bay. <\/p>\n
State Sen. Ileana Garcia was also at the Julia Tuttle cleanup, turning words into action after sponsoring legislation aimed at tackling Florida\u2019s growing marine debris problem.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that the time has come where we\u2019re finally aware that we need to do this,\u201d Garcia said.<\/p>\n
Garcia said momentum is building in Tallahassee.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe tide is changing in Tallahassee. I think they\u2019re very much aware that it\u2019s actually cheaper to take care of the resources versus having to clean up after it\u2019s broken,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Despite that momentum, the bill died in committee when the legislative session ended. Garcia said she plans to bring it back next year. Advocates remain hopeful.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the appetite is growing. It\u2019s not there yet, but what we\u2019re doing is bringing elected officials out on cleanups so they can see this problem firsthand,\u201d said Dave Doebler, co-founder of VolunteerCleanup.org. \u201cOnce they do, they immediately want to be part of the solution.\u201d<\/p>\n
Biscayne Bay is a major economic engine for Miami-Dade, supporting industries from fishing to cruising.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery year, the bay produces over $64 billion in annual economic revenue, and we really want to make sure that we have a safe bay to protect the fishing industry, the cruising industry and everyone who relies on a healthy bay,\u201d said Loren Parra, director of the county\u2019s Department of Environmental Resources Management.<\/p>\n
Right now, the bay faces threats from nutrient pollution caused by sewage breaks, leaking septic tanks, fertilizer runoff and dirty stormwater. Reducing marine debris is key to restoring its health at a time when it is nearing a tipping point.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn order to solve the problem, it\u2019s going to take actions by individuals, businesses and government,\u201d Doebler said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt makes a difference, even if it\u2019s for one hour,\u201d said volunteer Nelly Hernandez.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just want to do our part and come out here and clean. Does it make a difference? Hopefully, yeah. Hopefully we can inspire other people to come out here and take care of our Mother Earth,\u201d said volunteer Ryan Oswald.<\/p>\n
County officials said volunteers collected more than 20,000 pounds of marine debris and trash, including microplastics. The trashiest sites included the Julia Tuttle Causeway, where about 2,000 pounds were removed, and Biscayne National Park, where volunteers picked up 1,700 pounds.<\/p>\n
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