Volunteers Clean Up LA River

LOS FELIZ (CBSLA) — It may be the weekend but it is trash day along the LA River.

As CBSLA's Joy Benedict reports, volunteers got a head start on Earth Day Saturday, showing up along the LA River to clean it up.

The 29th annual Great LA River Cleanup took volunteers to Los Feliz for an eye-opening experience on what's left behind.

"I found dresses, mostly plastic bags," said a volunteer.

"We found a stereo. Part of a stereo in the river," said another volunteer.

"What struck me is how much plastic there is in the world and got me thinking about how much plastic I use every day," said volunteer Gretchen Lieberum.

Although many stuck to the banks, a few waded in like Jim Kennedy who walked in waste-deep to pull out a shopping cart and more.

"Shopping carts. A lot of clothes. Plastics. Household items," said Kennedy.

This is the second Saturday of a three-weekend event to try and cleanup the river. By the end of the month the Friends of the LA River hope to take about 100 tons of trash out of the river thanks to about 10,000 volunteers.

"Because I live here and I wanna see the river a little bit cleaner," said volunteer Jason Buckley.

After seeing the trash up close, some wonder if this event is enough.

"Most of the stuff here is because of the homeless situation and to me I'm more aware of that and what can I do about that," said Kennedy.

Because at the end of the day the river cleanup is about more than just trash, it's about change. Hoping awareness can help keep the river clean all year.