KEEP PASCO BEAUTIFUL CLEANUP
Presented by
Rotary Club of New Port Richey
It is estimated that 80% of the trash in our waters originates from land. Litter and debris along our roadways ends up in stormwater systems which ultimately lead to rivers, lakes and open waters. To protect our waters, we have the Keep Pasco Beautiful Cleanup the third Saturday of every September. The next Keep Pasco Beautiful Cleanup is scheduled for September 21st, 2024. Registration will be open until September 3rd. This cut off is important to ensure there is enough time for all our site captains to receive the awesome t-shirts and other supplies needed for the cleanup.
The cleanup will occur in multiple locations all around the county. While start and end times may vary, the event will take place in the morning of Saturday, September 21st. Some sites are closed for private groups. We have public sites at the locations listed below; you can choose the one that works best for you when you register:
-
Holiday: Anclote Gulf Park; TAT Civic Association
-
New Port Richey: Sims Park Boat Ramp; Green Key Road
-
Port Richey: Pier Road
-
Hudson: Hudson Beach
-
Shady Hills: Crews Lake Park
-
Land O' Lakes: Rosebud Continuum
-
Zephyrhills: New Walk Church
-
Dade City: City of Dade City; Dade City River Road Trailhead
Last year, the Keep Pasco Beautiful Cleanup was held on Saturday, September 16, 2023. Volunteers participated in 79 locations throughout Pasco County. There were 1,564 volunteers that worked for 4,885 hours picking up 39,140 lbs of trash. The Independent Sector values a volunteer hour at $31.80, which would put the volunteer cost-benefit for this cleanup at $155,344.59.
A huge thank you to all of our sponsors! All of our supplies are funded through sponsorships, and we wouldn't be able to do the cleanups without their support. Disposable gloves, trash bags, and Keep Pasco Beautiful Cleanup T-shirts will be provided while supplies last. In previous years, we've had such a great response that we ran out of shirts, so register early! T-shirts will be distributed based on who registered first.
If you would like a trash picker, we recommend getting one in advance since we won't be able to offer them this year. Here are a few suggestions on where to buy them: Amazon, Lowe's, The Home Depot, ArcMate, Grabo Grabber.
We recommend wearing closed-toe shoes, a hat, and sunglasses during the cleanup. We also suggest bringing sunscreen, hand sanitizer, bug spray, and water. We are practicing what we preach with waste reduction, so please bring your water in a reusable bottle if you have one. Not all sites will have water available on-site.
The local cleanups, mobilized by Ocean Conservancy, are part of the largest worldwide volunteer effort on behalf of ocean health. The purpose is to clean up and track the trash collected. More than 8 million metric tons of plastic trash ends up in our oceans every year. Since 1986, the International Coastal Cleanup has captured more than 350 million pounds of trash with the efforts of over 17 million volunteers.
Thank you for doing your part to protect our planet and Keep Pasco Beautiful!