Bakersfield is looking a little more beautiful as about 3,000 people hit the streets Saturday morning to cleanup litter, plant flowers and paint over graffiti.
Thousands of people gathered at Yokuts Park this morning to clean up the city and be recognized at the Great American Cleanup.
Local volunteer Carlos Jimenez said, "It's our home and we keep our backyard clean."
"We all live here and we all have to take pride and ownership in the city," said Public Works Solid Waste Division Supervisor John Wilburn.
This year, the Great American Cleanup wasn't exclusive to just one day.
Bakersfield Mayor Harvey Hall said, "It's a new concept in which we encourage groups and organizations and volunteers to pick projects during the year so that we can have a year-long great american cleanup day."
The community is taking notice.
"It's cleaner. There's less and less trash every year," said Jimenez.
Wilburn said, "It's obvious when a group has gone through and cleaned when you come back through afterwards and you drive through, it's just even little pieces of litter and coke cans, soda bottles on the side of the road, I mean those kind of stand out when you go bye."
The mayor has made city beautification a priority.
"We are developing more and more community pride by these cleanup efforts and that's what it's going to take for us to have everything beautiful during the whole year, to have those efforts of pride," said Hall.
Organizers estimate 11,000 volunteers cleaned up the city throughout the year.
Thousands of people gathered at Yokuts Park this morning to clean up the city and be recognized at the Great American Cleanup.
Local volunteer Carlos Jimenez said, "It's our home and we keep our backyard clean."
"We all live here and we all have to take pride and ownership in the city," said Public Works Solid Waste Division Supervisor John Wilburn.
This year, the Great American Cleanup wasn't exclusive to just one day.
Bakersfield Mayor Harvey Hall said, "It's a new concept in which we encourage groups and organizations and volunteers to pick projects during the year so that we can have a year-long great american cleanup day."
The community is taking notice.
"It's cleaner. There's less and less trash every year," said Jimenez.
Wilburn said, "It's obvious when a group has gone through and cleaned when you come back through afterwards and you drive through, it's just even little pieces of litter and coke cans, soda bottles on the side of the road, I mean those kind of stand out when you go bye."
The mayor has made city beautification a priority.
"We are developing more and more community pride by these cleanup efforts and that's what it's going to take for us to have everything beautiful during the whole year, to have those efforts of pride," said Hall.
Organizers estimate 11,000 volunteers cleaned up the city throughout the year.