After the fun and festivities of Gasparilla are over, its super important to recycle your beads. Theses plastic beads can be extremely harmful to local wildlife and the environment, especially if they end up in the bay. It is estimated that around 5 million strands of beads are distributed during Gasparilla. Of these 112 tons of beads, usually between 3 and 4 tons are collected as garbage. And many more wind up in Tampa’s water ways, which is extremely harmful to the marine wildlife.

The beads that do wind up in Tampa’s waterways will cause a myriad of problems. Many fish mistake these beads for food and will eventually die of malnutrition. Those who don’t consume the beads are at risk of  getting tangled up in them, especially dolphins, manatees and sea turtles.

Finally, those beads that aren’t eaten or tangled around sea life, will begin to break up into smaller microplastics. These tiny microplastics then release toxic chemicals that are extremely harmful to the environment and never decompose.

In an effort to protect our fish and the environment, the city of Tampa is collecting all Gasparilla beads and recycling them to be used in future Gasparilla parades. They began collecting beads on Jan. 31st and will continue through May.

All beads can be dropped off at the following sites through May:

• Kate Jackson Community Center – 821 S Rome Ave.
• Loretta Ingraham Recreation Complex – 1611 N Hubert Ave.
• Copeland Park Center – 11001 N 15th St.
• MacDonald Training Center – 5420 W Cypress St.

Learn more at tampa.gov/beadfreebay.

Now that you know where to recycle your beads there is no excuse for throwing them away. Please help protect your community and its wildlife so that Tampa can continue hosting the Gasparilla Parade.