TAMPA, Fla. — As Kurt Thoreson walks along Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa, he keeps an eye on the water.
"I'm out here three or four times a week and I see what a lot of other people see from dolphins to manatees," he said.
However, all too often, he said he sees mounds of garbage piled along the seawall.
"A lot of plastic, a lot of styrofoam, I've seen shoes, gas tanks," Thoreson said. "The better question is, what haven't I seen?"
Now, the Plant High School biology teacher, who makes a habit of picking up trash, is calling on the city and his neighbors to do more.
"I've been in Tampa for the last twelve years. It's always been a problem and it's not looking like it's getting any better," Thoreson said.
Non-profit 'Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful' says studies show 80% of trash that ends up in the bay starts on land. Often, it's fed through storm drains.
Allan Antolik, the deputy director of Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful, said, "In Florida, we typically don't have grates at our storm drains because we get so much rain during the rainy season. So if it gets near it, it's going to end up here in the river."
Their organization's efforts, as well as those of the city of Tampa, are rooted in street cleanups, and reactively, trash-collecting boats like Tampa's "Litter Skimmer," which operates four days a week.
"We are adding more kayaks and will be hosting more kayaking events," Antolik added.
A spokesperson for the city of Tampa Waste Management said, "Cleaning the waterways starts on land with the litter abatement efforts from the neighborhood enhancement team, then followed up by mobility's street sweepers and baffle boxes, and lastly the Litter Skimmer."
Ultimately, keeping the bay clean may come down to more people thinking like Kurt.
"Keep an eye on your trash," Antolik said. "If it does come out of your containers, pick it up and put it back in. Try to be mindful of that. It does go a long way."
Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful hosts trash-collecting events throughout the year. For more information, click here.