The 29th annual River Rally Cleanup and Environmental Expo, hosted on Saturday, Sept. 21, welcomed a total 1,189 participants from the community.

Volunteers were trained by professional biologists to know what to expect before entering the Santa Clara riverbed, where 12,555 pounds of trash and debris was collected for proper disposal.

After the cleanup, volunteers were invited to an Environmental Expo featuring 19 exhibitors including local non-profit organizations, educators, tribal organizations, businesses, sponsors and partners. The Environmental Expo allowed participants the opportunity to collect educational resources, play games, stay hydrated at water refill stations and see a demonstration from the city’s Vactor truck.

Other available resources included free environmental giveaways, water refill stations and Italian Ice. Special efforts were made to reduce the amount of waste generated from this event, such as providing volunteers with reusable wristbands at check-in that were later returned in exchange for a free giveaway item, providing plenty of water refill stations to refill reusable water bottles and supplying a separate recycling box for granola bar wrappers.

The city issued “a huge thank you to all of the sponsors and partners” that played a large role in successfully hosting this year’s event at a new location.

For additional environmental resources and green events, visit GreenSantaClarita.com or follow on social media @GreenSantaClarita.