Before sunrise, Andrew Otazo rides 5½ miles from Key Biscayne to the edge of Biscayne Bay.

Then he climbs down into the mangroves.

There is no trail. Only slick mud, brackish water, and roots that twist like scaffolding.

At the bottom, he finds what he calls treasure. Trash.

YouTube/WPLG Local 10

The cleanup mission began after a shocking visit to Bear Cut Preserve.

Since 2017, Otazo has hauled more than 35,000 pounds — over 17 tons — of garbage from Miami’s mangrove forests, according to The Washington Post. He goes alone most days to limit damage to the fragile ecosystem.

“It’s hard, and a little crazy,” he said.

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Mangroves protect shorelines from storm surge and erosion.

Why Mangroves Matter to Biscayne Bay

Mangroves are protected in Florida for good reason. They stabilize shorelines, blunt storm surge, absorb carbon, and filter toxins. They also serve as nurseries for fish and nesting grounds for birds, as reported by Local 10 News.

Otazo grew up exploring these forests.

When he returned as an adult, he expected calm water and birdsong.

Instead, he found garbage “literally everywhere,” he told The Cool Down.

Mattresses. Microwave ovens. Car batteries. Used diapers. Even a quinceañera dress and World War II-era ordnance washed ashore, according to The Washington Post.

He left furious.

YouTube/WPLG Local 10

Andrew Otazo rides 5½ miles from Key Biscayne to the edge of Biscayne Bay to clean up the mangrove forest.

A One-Man Cleanup Operation

Otazo packs three liters of water, heavy-duty trash bags, bug spray, a machete, and a knife. He weighs every bag with a luggage scale.

Pounds became tons.

In earlier years, he had already removed more than 14,000 pounds, Local 10 News reported. By 2025, that total surpassed 35,000 pounds, according to The Washington Post.

The work takes a toll.

He has suffered cuts, infections, sprains, and close calls with heat stroke during 163 days in the mangroves, he wrote on his site, Miami Creation Myth.

Still, he keeps going.

In 2019, he ran the Miami Marathon carrying a 35-pound bag of mangrove trash on his back. The race took 9 hours and 50 minutes. “It was agony,” he recalled in coverage cited by The Cool Down. The backpack now sits in the HistoryMiami Museum.

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Over 35,000 pounds of trash have been removed from Miami’s mangroves.

The Bigger Problem Behind the Debris

More than 70% of the trash tangled in mangroves comes from land-based litter, Otazo told Local 10 News. Storm drains and outdated waste systems funnel it into Biscayne Bay.

Globally, over 2 billion metric tons of municipal waste are generated each year, with up to 23 million tons of plastic entering aquatic ecosystems annually, according to data cited by The Cool Down.

Otazo argues that cleanups alone cannot solve it. In Miami Creation Myth, he urges residents to pressure lawmakers to curb plastic pollution and reform state policies that limit local plastic bag bans.

“If you’re relying on me, just one guy picking up trash, we’re doomed,” he told The Washington Post.

The mangroves will trap whatever washes in next.

He plans to be there when it does.