Volunteers Help Remove Trash From L.A. River

More than 1,000 volunteers helped pull grocery bags, shopping carts, tires, Styrofoam and even a manicure shop’s marquee from the Los Angeles River on Saturday, officials said.

For 14 years, volunteers have picked up trash as part of the Great Los Angeles River Cleanup, also known as La Gran Limpieza, said event coordinator Jill Hill.

Rain postponed the cleanup a week, resulting in 2,000 fewer volunteers than expected, she said.

Most of what ends up in the river washes down from storm drains; however, some of the trash pulled from the river -- such as bicycles or a huge tractor tire -- probably was dumped directly into the waterway, Hill said.