Litter Skimmer

Keeping Tampa Bay's Waterways Clean and Safe

"Litter Skimmer" by the City of Tampa's Solid Waste Department will operate eight hours a day, four days per week, picking up floating trash along the Hillsborough River, Davis Islands, and the Bay. 

According to the Ocean Conservancy, the top contributor to marine debris is single-use, or disposable, plastic products, including container caps and lids, beverage bottles, plastic bags, food wrappers, cups, plates, cutlery, and drinking straws. Single-use plastic utensils and containers threaten marine environments because they do not fully break down or decompose.

When littered or caught by the wind, these items get washed into stormwater drains that empty into streams, rivers, bays, and other waterways. 

Meet the City of Tampa's New Trash Boat, the Litter Skimmer
Boat Christening and Launch of Litter Skimmer

Did you know

Over 168,000 pounds of aquatic trash was recovered from the Hillsborough River in 2019?

Litter Skimmer saving wildlife
According to National Geographic, ocean plastic kills millions of marine animals and seabirds yearly.
Single use plastic straws are a top contributor to aquatic pollution
As many as 8.3 billion plastic straws pollute the world's beaches.
Plastic bags kill marine animals
More than 100,000 marine animals are killed by plastic bags annually.
scientists estimate that there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by weight in 2050
Plastics often break down into smaller and smaller particles, called microplastics, which can be ingested by both animals and people and remain in our environment for hundreds of years or longer.