Annual Hillsborough River Cleanup Yields Unusual Finds

Divers recover scooters, bikes, and other debris from Tampa's waterway

Feb. 25, 2026 at 12:27am

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Dozens of volunteers and officials participated in the annual cleanup of the Hillsborough River in Tampa, Florida, retrieving over 12 bags of trash, 3 scooters, 2 bikes, and other unusual items like street signs, a barricade, and even a spear. Divers say the amount of debris found has decreased over the years, but items like scooters and e-bikes with batteries can still pose a threat to the river's marine life.

Why it matters

The Hillsborough River cleanup is an important annual event to remove harmful debris and pollutants from the waterway, protecting the local ecosystem and wildlife. As Tampa continues to grow, the river faces ongoing threats from illegal dumping, making these cleanup efforts crucial.

The details

During the cleanup, divers jumped into the murky Hillsborough River and retrieved a variety of items, including scooters, bikes, beads, trash, plastics, street signs, a barricade, cones, clothing, chairs, and even a spear. All of the recovered items were covered in barnacles, shells, and small organisms. Officials say the amount of trash and large items found has decreased over the years, but items like scooters and e-bikes with batteries can still pose a threat to the river's marine life if left in the water.

  • The annual Hillsborough River cleanup took place on Tuesday, February 25, 2026.

The players

David Shepler

An officer and diver with the Tampa Police Department who participated in the cleanup.

Dr. Elizabeth Carpenter

A Pulmonary Critical Care and Dive Medicine Physician who spoke about the importance of the cleanup for the river's health and marine life.

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What they’re saying

“Initially, we found a lot of scooters, we found beads, we found Budda statues.”

— David Shepler, Officer and Diver, Tampa Police Department

“It is absolutely amazing and the work that we're doing out here is something to be seen. It has gotten so much better from when we come out here and we dive, what we pull now from back in the day, it's completely changed.”

— David Shepler, Officer and Diver, Tampa Police Department

“Particularly when it comes to the scooters and the e-bikes, they have batteries and those batteries can explode and leak toxins into the river. Getting those items out of the river is really important for the health of our fish. We have dolphins, we have gators that come up the river.”

— Dr. Elizabeth Carpenter, Pulmonary Critical Care/ Dive Medicine Physician

What’s next

The city plans to continue the annual Hillsborough River cleanup to maintain the health and safety of the waterway for both people and wildlife.

The takeaway

The Hillsborough River cleanup highlights the ongoing efforts to protect Tampa's local environment and the importance of responsible waste management to prevent harm to the city's natural resources and ecosystems.