TAMPA, Fla. — If you ask Anthony Sardinas, he’ll tell you he’s got the best job there is.
“I’m on the water, so I mean it doesn’t get any better,” Sardinas said.
WATCH: City of Tampa's new 'Little Skimmer' trash boat helps keep waterways clean
He’s one of the captains of the Litter Skimmer, a trash boat in Tampa helping keep waterways clean.
Sardinas has seen a little bit of everything from plastic bags and bottles to yard debris.
“I did pick up a ten-yard dumpster that was after the hurricane,” he said.
ABC Action News has shown you just how much it’s scooped up over the years.
“That first year with collecting trash on the waterways, we collected 26,000 pounds of trash,” said Larry Washington, the City of Tampa’s Solid Waste Director. “That’s in the first year. Fast forward three years, we’ve more than tripled that amount.”
In fact, Tampa leaders said since its launch, the 43-foot Litter Skimmer has removed more than 94,000 pounds of debris.
The City is now expanding its effort by launching the Little Skimmer, a smaller vessel that can access harder to reach areas like seawalls, mangroves, and shallow edges.
“These two will be incredibly active right now in the storm season,” said Tampa Mayor Jane Castor. “When we’re having these very hard rainfalls, they’re really pulling all of that trash into our city.”
It’s not only an important initiative for beauty but for healthy living.
“The Hillsborough water is literally the source of drinking water for all Tampa residents and a third of Hillsborough County,” Castor said. “It is critically important for the marine life, for the health of the river, but for the health of our community as well.”
You can help make Sardinas’ job easier by doing your part.
“This is the life and soul of the city, believe it or not. Everything leads to the river, so if you drop it out there, it’s going to find its way here, and I’m going to end up having to pick it up for you,” said Sardinas.
