Mississippi Coastal Cleanup Program

This past Saturday, we kicked off Sand Jam with a successful beach cleanup! 🌊♻️ With the help of 31 volunteers, we removed 115 pounds of trash from Pascagoula.

Top 5 items collected:
• Glass pieces – 273
• Cigarette butts – 205
• Plastic pieces – 203
• Cigar tips – 76
• Plastic bottle caps – 73

After the cleanup, we joined the fun at Sand Jam, where we hosted an outreach table, gave away native plants, and shared information about the coastal conservation work happening through our MSU Extension Office (Coastal Conservation and Restoration Program)and the Mississippi Sound Program (Mississippi Sound Estuary Program). We also connected with community members about ways to get involved, from supporting local conservation initiatives to joining future cleanup efforts. Thank you to everyone who helped make a difference for our coast!

Ready for a cleanup adventure? Join us for a challenging yet incredibly rewarding cleanup on Petit Bois Island! 🌊🏝️ Help protect one of Mississippi’s beautiful barrier islands while enjoying a day on the water!

🚤 Petit Bois Island Cleanup
📍 Meet at Pascagoula Point Boat Launch – 645 Beach Blvd, Pascagoula, MS 39567
🕣 Check-in: 8:30 a.m.
⏰ Boats DEPART PROMPTLY at 9 a.m. — don’t miss the boat!
🕐 Return to the launch by 1 p.m.

Transportation to the island will be provided by our charter-for-hire boat captains. Prefer to meet us on the island? No problem! Just let us know in the registration form, and we’ll send you the cleanup site coordinates.

🌟 Register here: https://forms.gle/2xzDiWLcWFj9Lm5m7
Or visit msucoastal.com/island-cleanup/ to sign up!

Do not forget to register for our upcoming beach cleanup at Pascagoula Beach Park on May 30 from 8:00 to 9:30 AM!!!

This volunteer opportunity takes place just before Sand Jam – Forces of Nature, so you can start your day by helping clean the beach and then stay to enjoy a fun celebration of the natural world around us.

Sand Jam – Forces of Nature is a free annual summer event celebrating Mississippi’s native wildlife, environment, and heritage. Help us kick things off by removing litter from the beach and making a positive impact before the festivities begin.

This is a family-friendly event, and all ages are welcome!

Event Details:
⏰Saturday, May 30, 2026, 8:00 am- 9:30 am
📍Pascagoula Beach Park, Pascagoula, MS
🏖️Join us at the beach for a cleanup event to kick off Sand Jam 2026. All cleanup supplies are provided.

✅Please register here: https://forms.gle/7MJVaYPSPHe7hBicA or by visiting our webpage at msucoastal.com/coastal-cleanup/

Looking for ways to give back on ? The 2026 Mississippi Barrier Island cleanup dates are live, sign up today to participate on the first cleanup Saturday, May 8.

Each month, there will be an opportunity to travel by boat to a different barrier island to pick up marine debris. These cleanups are part of our three-year partnership with the National Park Service Gulf Islands National Seashore to tackle debris along all 68 miles of the barrier island chain while restoring and protecting native habitats on federally managed lands.

✅Learn more about the Barrier Island Cleanup initiative and how to register at https://msucoastal.com/island-cleanup

Graphic by Mississippi Coastal Cleanup Program

🌎UPCOMING CLEANUP!🌎
Join us for a beach cleanup to celebrate Earth Day!

☀️🏖The 2026 barrier island cleanup dates and locations are officially out, so mark your calendars and get ready for a fun cleanup season! Each month, we will be heading out to a different barrier island to help keep these beautiful spaces clean and thriving. If you have ever visited the islands, whether to volunteer or just enjoy the scenery, you know they can always use an extra hand when it comes to picking up litter.

These cleanups are part of our three year partnership with the National Park Service (Gulf Islands National Seashore) to tackle debris along all 68 miles of the barrier island chain while restoring and protecting native habitats on federally managed lands.

✅Learn more about the Barrier Island Cleanup initiative and how to register at https://msucoastal.com/island-cleanup

🌊We’ve been getting lots of questions about upcoming cleanups. While we don’t have any scheduled just yet, that doesn’t mean you can’t get out there and make a difference!

Anyone can organize a cleanup anytime of year and help keep our beaches clean and collect valuable data for our program. Simply fill out our short Request a Bin form with your cleanup date and estimated number of volunteers, and we’ll take care of the rest.

We’ll prepare a cleanup bin with everything you need, including gloves, trash bags, grabbers, buckets, a first aid kit, hand sanitizer, a hanging scale, and data collection materials. You can pick up your supplies at our office at the Coastal Research and Extension Center in Biloxi.

Our only requirement? Collect the data! Knowing how much trash is removed and what types are found helps us better understand and protect our coast.

Request a bin here 👉 https://coastalcleanup.extension.msstate.edu/contact-us/request-bin

Or find the form on our website at msucoastal.com/coastal-cleanup/

🌊 Shoutout to Cub Scout Pack 321! 🌟
This amazing group of 28 volunteers collected 71.8 pounds of trash from Long Beach!

Feeling inspired? This is your sign to request a bin! When you request a bin, we will prepare the materials needed based on your expected volunteer count. You can then conveniently pick everything up at our Biloxi office.

➡️ Request a bin here: https://coastalcleanup.extension.msstate.edu/contact-us/request-bin

'Tis the season to Keep Mississippi Beautiful 🌟

📸: Mississippi Coastal Cleanup Program is just one of many programs across the state helping to keep Mississippi beautiful. With 1,724.5 lbs of trash cleaned from the coast at their last cleanup, this program is making big waves to keep Mississippi beaches clean!