Cape Coral volunteers gather to participate in the Great American Cleanup

CAPE CORAL, Fla. —

On Saturday morning, volunteers came together to help protect local wildlife and clean up some of Cape Coral's Gulf Coast waterways during the Great American Cleanup at Four Mile Cove Ecological Preserve.

The event ran from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. with a sold out crowd. Organizers said every single bag of trash collected helps keep the waters clean and creates a safer environment for both people and animals.

"One thing that I really enjoy is to see a community effort to make the community better. And it starts individually. I mean, if you were to walk your dog or go for a walk or even a jog, and if you bring with you a small bag to pick up trash, that's only going to make the community better by having less trash in our environment," said Harry Phillips, an environmental biologist in Cape Coral.

Phillips said that while a lot of the trash they clean up ends up in the water by accident, they are finding more items that have been thrown there intentionally, such as vapes, cigarette butts, and water bottles. He urged people to make sure their trash goes in the right place.

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