The Wisconsin River Cleanup Project is at it again, helping the local resource sparkle.

Hundreds of high school students and countless volunteers from the Wausau area lent a hand Friday for the annual event.

On average, the group collects 3,000 pounds of garbage in and along the river every single year.

The students work by boat and on foot, cleaning stretches of the river from the Wausau hydro dam to Mosinee.

The most common trashy finds are pop cans and soda bottles, cigarette butts and plastic bags.

"We've actually found pretty interesting things. But it's actually pretty clean this year," said Kia Staszak, who goes to Wausau East High School.

The event's organizer believes students learn the importance of a clean environment and the river's value.

"I think the Wisconsin river has been a big heritage thing for us, especially in the Wausau area and it's contributed to why we are here and why our ancestors setttled in this area," said Jody Meyer.

After the cleanup, students had an educational session and lunch. They also walked away with a commemorative 10th anniversary t-shirt.