CLEARWATER, Fla. (WFLA) -- The 4th annual "Big Cleanup" is underway in Clearwater, as organizers said this year's event is more important than ever due to the recent hurricanes.
On Friday morning, dozens of people put their vests on to lend a helping hand to clean up Clearwater Beach.
The organizers are calling these events a call to action.
"With two major hurricanes in the span of two weeks, mother nature has combined with humans to make our area less beautiful," said Clearwater Mayor, Bruce Rector.
These events are a citywide effort with the goal of restoring the beauty back to the streets, beaches, and waterways.
The city is partnering with Keep Pinellas Beautiful, AMPLIFY Clearwater, and Visit St. Pete-Clearwater and said they need as many volunteers as they can get, with all hands on deck to get rid of all the damage.
"This year, we need a bigger cleanup than ever, because we've had two big, big storms that have left a huge amount of debris. We've gotten rid of most of the piles, but we still have a lot of debris around our city," Rector said.
This weeklong volunteer initiative will focus on removing litter that threatens marine life and the environment.
In recent years, more than 16,000 pounds of litter has been collected.
"Every little bit counts, if everyone joins, in a little bit we will have a beautiful city, county, country, and world," said Pat Deplasco, the Executive Director of Keep Pinellas Beautiful.
There are multiple cleanup sites across Clearwater, which gives anyone willing to lend a helping hand the option of choosing a location closest to them.
There will also be awards given out to people who are volunteering— one for the youngest volunteer, the oldest volunteer, and for total weight divided by total volunteers, per site.
Mayor Bruce Rector also said he will be giving out an influencer award.
"We can all do our part during this big clean-up week to pick it up wherever we see it," he said.
Dates and times of cleanups:
- Nov. 9: Courtney Campbell Causeway, Lake Belleview, Clearwater Garden Club (Times vary based on location)
- Nov. 16: Moccasin Lake Nature Park, Stevenson Creek, State Street Park, Clearwater Memorial Causeway (Times vary based on location)
To sign up to volunteer, click here.