SAN ANTONIO — Tens of thousands of pounds of trash were picked up all across San Antonio on Saturday during the annual Basura Bash.
At Martinez Creek, which starts at I-10 and Hildebrand, volunteers spent the morning cleaning.
"“The energy was wonderful," said Jessica Mrozinski, a volunteer. "I can’t believe this entire bank was littered with trash this morning at 9 a.m. And the amount of volunteers just at this location were incredible. I can’t wait to see how much trash was collected.”
Mrozinski usually spends most weekends cleaning with River Aid San Antonio, though this was her first time participating in Basura Bash.
"I think it’s really crucial for our San Antonio community to know that you can get involved with wonderful people, and your voice does matter in your home," she said.
Charles Blank, the executive director with River Aid SA explained this was the first year the annual event was completely run by their organization. So many volunteers signed up on Friday it crashed their website.
"The weather was a little cold today so we had our turnout cut a little bit, but we still had the same numbers that we had last year," he said. "About 1500 volunteers today."
Though Blank believes to keep San Antonio clean, he thinks more has to be done.
"It doesn’t get like this because one jerk in a pickup. It doesn’t get like this because of one homeless encampment," Blank said. "It gets like this because a million people live in our city and people make mistakes."
River Aid San Antonio hosts clean ups monthly, and are planning a smaller event similar to Basura Bash in the fall. To sign up to be a volunteer, click HERE.