MIAMI — 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’s backyard during Baynanza.

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.

“Don’t forget, water is life. Wooo!” Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said.

Across 33 sites in Miami-Dade County, more than 3,000 volunteers stepped up to do their part to help save the bay.

“It matters a lot. It’s our community, it’s our Earth,” said Laura Gagliardo, a volunteer with Blackstone.

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.

“Beautiful bay. Lot of garbage. I don’t know who can do this to this beautiful place,” said Miami Beach volunteer Marina Spisiak.

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.

“It’s just very sad that we have become so irresponsible and so unaware, thinking that’s not going to affect us,” said volunteer Maria Rovzar.

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.

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.

State Sen. Ileana Garcia was also at the Julia Tuttle cleanup, turning words into action after sponsoring legislation aimed at tackling Florida’s growing marine debris problem.

“I think that the time has come where we’re finally aware that we need to do this,” Garcia said.

Garcia said momentum is building in Tallahassee.

“The tide is changing in Tallahassee. I think they’re very much aware that it’s actually cheaper to take care of the resources versus having to clean up after it’s broken,” she said.

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.

“I think the appetite is growing. It’s not there yet, but what we’re doing is bringing elected officials out on cleanups so they can see this problem firsthand,” said Dave Doebler, co-founder of VolunteerCleanup.org. “Once they do, they immediately want to be part of the solution.”

Biscayne Bay is a major economic engine for Miami-Dade, supporting industries from fishing to cruising.

“Every 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,” said Loren Parra, director of the county’s Department of Environmental Resources Management.

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.

“In order to solve the problem, it’s going to take actions by individuals, businesses and government,” Doebler said.

“It makes a difference, even if it’s for one hour,” said volunteer Nelly Hernandez.

“We 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,” said volunteer Ryan Oswald.

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.

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