‘Baynanza’ celebrates 40 years with coastal cleanup and launch of Plastic Free 305 program

BISCANYE BAY, Fla. – Miami-Dade County is celebrating 40 years of the Baynanza Biscayne Bay Cleanup Day on Saturday.

The signature shoreline cleanup event takes place at 27 locations along Biscayne Bay in celebration of Earth Day.

The event is organized by the Miami-Dade County Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources, Division of Environmental Resources Management, and gathers thousands of volunteers with the purpose of cleaning debris and litter from Biscayne Bay while raising awareness of both the beauty and challenges faced by this vital ecosystem.

“It’s amazing how much we’ve done in 40 years. We’ve done so much to protect the health and quality of the Biscayne Bay habitat. We’re here to celebrate picking up trash along the shorelines,” Director of the Miami-Dade DERM Lee Hefty.

Baynanza’s mission is to highlight the importance of preventing litter in the waterways and teaching residents that everything they do on the water and on dry land affects the health of the bay.

“No matter where you drop it, it’s going to end up in our water,” Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said.

The event will also celebrate the official launch of Plastic Free 305, a new program that will help local businesses reduce and eliminate their use of single-use plastics.

“We live in paradise and we need to protect and preserve paradise. Miami-Dade County is at the forefront of making sure people understand that everything we can do to support and build our beautiful environment is what Baynanza is all about,” Levine Cava said.


About the Authors:

Annaliese Garcia joined Local 10 News in January 2020. Born and raised in Miami, she graduated from the University of Miami, where she studied broadcast journalism. She began her career at Univision. Before arriving at Local 10, she was with NBC2 (WBBH-TV) covering Southwest Florida. She's glad to be back in Miami!