On Saturday, volunteers came together at Treasure Island Beach to tidy up the area after the massive Fourth of July celebrations that attracted a large crowd.

“Unfortunately, it’s the messiest day of the year. People spend the day at the beach, enjoy the fireworks, and rush home, leaving a lot of trash behind,” explained Carrie Auerbach from Treasure Island Adopt-A-Beach.

Treasure Island Adopt-A-Beach joined forces with Keep Pinellas Beautiful to organize a beach and park cleanup event, taking place in the early morning from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.

“It’s for our environment. We have the beautiful beach, I think we were rated the No. 3 best beach in all of Florida, so we want to keep it clean. We want people to be respectful. We understand wanting to come out and enjoy, but we really need people to take what they brought in.”

Additionally, several other ‘After the Fourth Cleanup’ projects took place in surrounding areas, such as Coachman Park, the town of Indian Shores, and Johns Pass Park in Madeira Beach.

For those interested in getting involved and helping to ensure our coastlines stay beautiful, you can check out upcoming events here. Or visit the Keep Pinellas Beautiful website.