Peoria residents are taking pride in the river city by picking up trash.

It's part of a large city wide spring litter clean up called the Great American Cleanup.

Thousands of volunteers are trying to make Peoria a cleaner place to live.

This is the first year that Jason Keel volunteered for the great American clean up.
In Peoria's West Bluff neighborhood, he and other volunteers picked up trash to keep Peoria Clean.

Keel said, "I want to help have a better atmosphere".

And volunteers didn't stop their cleaning mission just because of a little rain.

Peoria Council Member Ryan Spain says, "Even though it's sort of raining and cloudy we're all here to clean up Peoria and pick up the litter off the street to make the city look beautiful".

"It says that people care in Peoria there's a lot of pride in Peoria just like our motto, Pride in Peoria", said Peoria Litter Czar Steve Pierz.

Just like the motto says volunteers like Jason Keel say picking up a single piece of trash is taking pride in Peoria and it's not that hard, anyone could do it.

"Anyone could do this really if we just picked up a little bit here and there", said Jason Keel.

Volunteers were divided into designated areas to pick up. And Peoria's Litter Czar says he has a goal.

Pierz says, "Our vision is to have Peoria be named the cleanest city in the country".

And that's certainly a possibility if people continue to pick up trash and take Pride in Peoria.