4ocean Florida: Keepin’ it clean since ‘17

While the idea for 4ocean may have been inspired by a beach in Bali, our very first cleanup division opened in South Florida in 2017. Keep scrolling to discover why we opened a cleanup division in Florida and explore our cleanup strategy.

THE ENVIRONMENT

Florida’s iconic natural environment is like no other in the world

When you’re in Florida, you’re never more than 60 miles from the beach. From the Panhandle to the Treasure Coast to the Florida Keys, our lives are shaped by the water that surrounds us. Use the slider to discover some of Florida’s unique environmental characteristics.

Interconnected and interdependent

Florida’s salt and freshwater resources are deeply intertwined. With a bedrock made of porous limestone, Florida's groundwater moves through a series of underground caves, sinkholes, and caverns in complex ways. Natural springs, watersheds, and groundwater feed the state’s rivers, which flow through swamps, marshes, and other wetlands that remove excess nutrients from freshwater before it enters the ocean. These intricate systems provide drinking water to around 90% of Floridians. They also support thriving coastal and marine habitats like mangrove forests, seagrass beds, and coral reefs, which contribute to the rich biodiversity and abundant marine life found in the ocean surrounding Florida and our neighbors.

Water, water, everywhere

With 8,436 miles of coastline, the Florida peninsula is surrounded by water on three sides and holds the record for the second longest coastline of any U.S. state. More than 1,700 rivers connect Florida’s inland waterways to three major marine ecosystems including the Atlantic Coast (also known as the southeast U.S. continental shelf), the Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico.

An important economic driver

From sandy beaches to fresh seafood, Florida’s ocean and coastal environments have made our state a world-renowned travel destination that attracts millions of tourists and new residents every year. Around half a million Floridans work directly in the ocean economy, which includes jobs in tourism & recreation as well as marine transportation, marine construction, ship and boat building, and living resources like fishing. In fact, the ocean economy contributes around $30 billion to Florida’s GDP each year.

The fishing capital of the world

Florida’s commercial and recreational fishing industries aren’t just crucial economic drivers for the state; they’re also part of our culture. Like most fishing communities, Floridians depend on plentiful fish and shellfish populations for our livelihoods, which require healthy habitats and water quality to thrive. Floridians have always worked together to protect our natural environment, advocate for responsible and sustainable fishing practices, and demand environmental stewardship and accountability from our local and state representatives.

THE PROBLEM

The U.S. is the world’s #1 source of plastic waste

You read that right. The United States generates more plastic waste than any other country in the world. In 2016 alone, Americans were responsible for producing 42 million metric tons of plastic waste. That’s 286 pounds of plastic waste per person in just one year!

While the plastics industry continues to push recycling as a solution, we know that we can’t recycle our way out of the ocean plastic crisis. Even in the U.S. where recycling is widely accessible, only about 9% of all plastic waste is recycled. Even less is recycled more than once.

Instead, the U.S. exports around half of its plastic waste to other nations that have insufficient waste management infrastructure to properly manage and recycle plastic, which means a lot of our plastic still enters the environment.

In Florida, plastic pollution comes from a variety of sources including:

  • Intentional littering: People may leave behind trash after a day at the beach or dump difficult-to-dispose of waste in the environment
  • Unintentional littering: Plastic debris may blow away in a storm or fishing vessels may accidentally lose gear like nets, buoys, etc.
  • Seaborne plastic: Plastic enters the ocean somewhere else and ocean or wind currents carry it to our coastlines

    • With over 8,000 miles of coastline and ocean on three sides of the state, Florida has had more incidents of animals consuming and becoming entangled in plastic than any other state according to a report by Oceana. The report, which documented marine life interactions with plastic between 2009 and 2020, found that Florida’s sea turtles, manatees, and other marine life account for 55% of all documented incidents.

    THE PROBLEM graphic image.

    THE OPERATION

    4ocean Florida cleanup strategy

    While they may have realized the severity of the ocean plastic crisis on a surf trip to Bali, our founders couldn’t escape the impact of plastic pollution in their own backyard. That’s why they founded 4ocean and opened the company’s first cleanup division in South Florida in 2017. Every time you shop 4ocean and pull a pound of trash, you’re funding our cleanups in Florida and around the world. Use the slider to explore our main areas of focus in Florida.

    Shop Now + Pull Pounds

    4ocean cleanup operations span the South Florida coast from West Palm Beach to Miami with particular attention paid to beaches and waterways in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Palm Beach, and Boca Raton.

    The entire coastline of the Intercoastal Waterway is tended to including seawall, sand, and mangrove forests.

    We also install and regularly service passive marine debris collection systems like the 4ocean Harbor Skimmer in marinas along the coast.

    We test new clean ocean technology like the BeBot, our new beach cleaning robot, before deploying it globally. Learn more

    Coming Soon

    In the coming weeks and months, we’ll introduce new ways to pull pounds, raise awareness about plastic pollution, and support our global ocean cleanup operation.

    We’re also in the process of laying the groundwork for a new cleanup project in South Florida. This operation is still in its infancy and we’ll need your support to scale up and maximize our impact.