The Rivers Alive effort Saturday was one of the best-attended cleanup events Keep Forsyth County Beautiful has held, officials said.
Nearly 200 volunteers showed up Saturday morning at Mary Alice Park for the cleanup.
“We picked up 95 bags of trash and a bunch of miscellaneous debris,” said Kevin Smith, community outreach specialist. “We typically get around 100 to 150 people. One hundred fifty was our high mark before, and so we did so much better Saturday.”
The high turnout also falls on the heels of an overall low year for volunteerism in Georgia’s cleanup efforts. Smith said student volunteer clubs, scouts and families were among the participants Saturday. He also noted a small group of boaters and kayak paddlers who cleaned shoreline.
Despite the productivity, Smith said the morning was short.
“I think people realize that they can come to our cleanups and they’re just a quick couple of hours in and out. They get in some good service time and then they’re back home.”
The response helped, according to Smith, who was able to send twice as many volunteers to each location.
“It’s a good problem to have because you can accomplish more in less time,” he said.