Gandy Beach littering is ‘out of control,’ despite more garbage cans, regular trash pick up days

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Trash is picked up three days a week at Gandy Beach, but from the looks of it, that may not be enough. Kris Carson with the Florida Department of Transportation says their littering issue has gotten out of control.

"We have a crew of four to five people who go out there three times a week and they’re spending about six hours each time picking up garbage," she said. 

Photos from the Memorial and Labor Day holiday weekends show what crews were up against.

"This past Labor Day, our crews picked up over 10,000 pounds of trash and we’ve added more trash cans out there. There are about 20 cans out there that line the beach," Carson explained.

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The bins have signs that clearly state, if the trash can is full, do not leave your trash beside it. That’s a rule beachgoer Omais Siddiqui can get behind.

"If you’re bringing something with you, take it back home," he stated. "It only takes a couple of minutes to put something in a trash bag or something like that. Keep it as clean as you’d like your home to be."

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The Florida Department of Transportation says it has no plans to add more trash cans at this time.

"If the trash can is full, put your own trash in your car and dispose of it when you get home," Carson said. "We would really like people to do that."

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