Since 1988, volunteers have been gathering each October for a large-scale cleanup on the Mississippi Gulf Coast to make a difference. Thousands of volunteers spend their morning removing tons of debris and trash from the beaches, waterways, boat launches and parks as part of the Annual Mississippi Coastal Cleanup event.
This day is much more than just picking up trash. It’s an opportunity for a community to come together and inspire others to help take care of our coastal environments! This event featured dozens of cleanup site locations hosted by site captains who provide cleanup supplies to oversee and assist volunteers.
For decades, this event was organized and run by a group of community leaders known as the Mississippi Marine Debris Task Force, including Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant, in conjunction with the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, which developed into a partnership with the Mississippi State University (MSU) Extension Service in 2016.
Through this evolution, the Mississippi Coastal Cleanup, that was once just an annual event, is now a program focused on education, awareness, research and community outreach. The Mississippi Coastal Cleanup Program (MSCCP) is housed at the MSU Coastal Research and Extension Center in Biloxi, where a team of extension professionals and marine debris and ecology-focused researchers lead a variety of environmental conservation projects and programs.
The Mississippi Inland Cleanup Program is an expansion of the MSCCP that extends the efforts of the coastal program by removing debris from the community (both land and water-based) and help stop trash at its inland source.
Plastic Free Gulf Coast is a program focused on engaging and supporting the Gulf Coast in the transition away from plastic by making alternatives to plastic mainstream, accessible and affordable through collaboration, knowledge and experience sharing eliminating plastic use is possible.
The Derelict Trap Reward Program is a program focused on encouraging the proper disposal year-round of derelict crab traps and rewards shrimpers that participate in the program when derelict traps they encounter while shrimping are properly disposed of.
The Sustainability with Awareness and Prevention Solutions (S.W.A.P.S.) Program is an in-classroom learning series that provides students with a broad understanding or litter and waste issues facing individuals, schools and communities on the coast.
As you can see, the Mississippi Coastal Cleanup Program goes beyond just cleanups and promotes the conservation of our local marine environment by influencing active stewardship within our local community and partners year-round.
The 2022 cleanup year was packed full of community volunteer opportunities including the Earth Day Celebration Cleanup, World Ocean Day Cleanup, Star-Spangled Cleanup and several Monthly Cleanups. Through these events, over 1,200 volunteers have removed nearly 7,000 pounds of trash from the beaches! To conclude the 2022 cleanup season, the MSCCP is hosting the Annual Mississippi Coastal Cleanup event this weekend. Join us for the 2022 Annual Mississippi Coastal Cleanup event on Saturday Oct. 15, 2022, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. For more information on this and other MSCCP events, please visit www.mscoastalcleanup.org.
Meet the author
Mandy Rigsby
Ecotourism and Stewardship Specialist
As part of our Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium Engagement Team, Mandy Rigsby works with nature-based tourism businesses to connect visitors to local nature and its wildlife. She also... Read more
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