SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Over a thousand volunteers took part in the largest annual cleanup along the American River, Saturday. Volunteers filled up trash bags to the brim, loaded carts full of man made materials and removed large items left behind by some of the unhoused people in the area.
"We picked up an old tire that we saw come out, we've picked up tents, we've picked up a lot of like mattress toppers that we found," said volunteer Katrina Watkins.
Watkins, who frequents the trails along the river, was among the participants who dedicated their time to make it a better place. Volunteers hit 20 sites, spreading out among them to make the most impact.
"I love being out here with my fellow Sacramentan's that want to contribute to our community," said Watkins. "It's always very satisfying to see the whole pile after you're done cleaning up for the day."
Some volunteers don't have as much fun with the event, but continue to participate for their community.
"It's not an unenjoyable task. It's sometimes like a treasure hunt. You can find some fun stuff," said volunteer Jenna Fontaine. "I think it's just important to take care of where we live."
The cleanup coincides with California Coastal Cleanup Day which is a larger statewide effort focused on removing trash and debris from waterways.
"There's always been trash along the Parkway and it is always discouraging to see it, but it's important to participate in cleanups like this," said Scot Murdoch with the American River Parkway Foundation. "It's about environmental impacts as well. This trash introduces pollutants like battery acid and microplastics and Styrofoam — so by removing this trash, we're helping to prevent some of those pollutants from getting into our environment and even making their way into the delta and into the ocean."
The American River Parkway Foundation said volunteers collected more than 35,000 lbs of trash on Saturday nearly reaching their goal of 40,000 lbs.
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