Free Our Shores: Marine Debris Cleanup 2025

Overview

On Saturday, July 5, 2025, The International SeaKeepers Society partnered with Miami Waterkeeper, BLUE Missions, Geared for Green, Coast Love, and Seaworthy Collective for the fourth annual Free Our Shores of Marine Debris cleanup at Historic Virginia Key Beach Park. 46 volunteers gathered at the park to remove marine debris generated by 4th of July celebrations, one of the dirtiest days for our beaches. After hearing an introduction from each organization, volunteers grabbed mesh bags, buckets, gloves, and pickers and set out to scour the entire park for trash. When volunteers returned with a full bag or bucket, they were encouraged to sort through the garbage to pull out items that could be recycled or repurposed. Sofia, Miami Waterkeeper’s Education and Outreach Associate, collected plastic bottle caps, straws, zip ties, and fragments for an art project, giving these pieces that would be thrown out a new purpose. Thanks to Geared for Green’s Circular Express Box program, all the PET bottles and aluminum cans were separated from the rest of the garbage to be shipped to their recycling facility to be recycled into new items such as merchandise and building materials. Our dedicated volunteers collected over 177 pounds of trash from Historic Virginia Key Beach Park’s shorelines, as well as the parking lots and grassy areas, leaving the park and the bay cleaner for all to enjoy. To reward their hard work, volunteers were encouraged to enjoy wellness shots, protein bars and wraps kindly donated by Pura Vida. SeaKeepers is grateful to all the partner organizations for such a successful event, and we look forward to continuing the tradition next year!