Miami Clean Up 2021

Scientists estimate that more than 17 billion pounds of plastic enter our ocean every year threatening marine life from corals polyps to sharks, the health of people, and local economies.  By the year 2050, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish!

International Coastal Cleanup ( ICC) is the world’s largest, one-day volunteer effort to clean up the marine environment and raise awareness for this issue. Spearheaded by the Ocean Conservancy, the annual effort, now in its 38th year, takes place on the 3rd Saturday each September.

VolunteerCleanup.org organizes Miami’s regional ICC effort, with 45+ individual cleanup events across the county. See above for registration information. To find a site outside of Miami, please visit the Ocean Conservancy Page. 

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.

The ICC is much more than just removing trash. Volunteers at ICC actively participate in a unique global citizen science project. Not only will they be removing marine debris, but they will also catalog and tally what they find using the Ocean Conservancy’s data collection cards or Clean Swell App.  The resulting item-by-item, location-by-location Ocean Trash Index filled with amazing infographics and charts that Ocean Conservancy compiles each year provides the only global snapshot of the marine debris littering coasts and waterways around the world. This valuable information about the types and sources of debris found Analyzed and tracked year by year, 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.
• We hope you can join us in Miami – or in any other shoreline throughout the world.

We need your help to keep this momentum going.  Signup and help spread the word!