Event Info

The 2011 Miami-Dade Coastal Cleanup will take place on Saturday, September 17th, 2011 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (it is recommended that participants arrive at their designated cleanup site at 8:30 a.m).  Immediately after the Cleanup all volunteers are invited to the Volunteer Appreciation Party.

This regional effort is part of the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC), which takes place every year on the third Saturday of September. The event is sponsored by the Ocean Conservancy and is supported locally by business and environmentally conscious organizations.

Worldwide, thousands of volunteers from over 100 countries will spend their morning collecting millions of pounds of litter and debris on inland roadsides, coastal areas, inland lakes and rivers. Volunteers will assist in this effort to clean and protect the environment by eliminating debris that injures wildlife, contaminates our beaches and waterways, and threatens boater safety in Miami-Dade County. Local volunteers are needed to join this effort.

In 1988, The Florida Coastal Cleanup was created. To this day, it remains a part of the International Coastal Cleanup, a program developed by The Ocean Conservancy. The mission of the Ocean Conservancy is to educate the public on issues of marine pollution and to use the information collected from the Cleanup to change policy at the state and national level. They also take many other measures needed to reduce marine pollution and enhance marine conservation. The first year the program was instituted in Florida, over 10,500 Floridians cleaned 915 miles of shoreline and collected 194 tons of debris. The number of Floridians and the number of county clean-up organizations who are affiliated with the FLCC since its inception has continued to grow.

The ICC is much more than just removing trash. By using detailed, standardized data cards, volunteers gather valuable information about the types and sources of debris found. Analyzed and tracked year by year, this information serves as a powerful tool for educating the public, influencing public policy, and effecting positive behavioral change on the part of individuals, organizations, and communities.

The collection of this data by cleanup volunteers of all ages and the resulting report prepared by The Ocean Conservancy is used in the following ways:

• To raise awareness of the quantities and types of marine debris;
• To determine the various sources of marine debris;
• To evaluate the impact of marine debris on wildlife and habitat;
• To assist in the enforcement of regulations against illegal dumping;
• To influence industries that manufacture products that cause harm to the marine environment.

Miami-Dade County participates in the ICC due to the efforts of Miami-Dade Coastal Cleanup, Inc., a non-profit that coordinates the local event. Help us keep the effort going and keep Florida beautiful!!!