ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A place that was once scenic. For Gladys Pedraza-Burgos, it is now looked at as a river of plastic.

"The Genesee River is part of our history," Pedraza-Burgos said. "It's also part of our future as well. As you can see, there's more and more development going on around the river." I've been coming here, going for walks, and I noticed that there was a lot of litter in the river, and it had been there for quite some time. And it just seemed to be getting worse. And I was afraid that all this was just going to go into the lake."

From tires to plastic and even an inflatable pool found surrounding the Genesee River, local residents have found the issue of litter to be an issue for years, requesting the city of Rochester to take action. Volunteers from the Genesee RiverWatch have stepped in to give a helping hand.

"We don't customarily do cleanups, but we thought, you know, this is a real problem spot," Genesee RiverWatch board member Steve Orr said. "You know, the authorities have referred people to us in this case, so let's give it a go."

Beginning in 2014, Genesee RiverWatch grew directly out of the center for environmental information, which was formed 50 years ago this year. 

"Ten years ago, we changed our direction to focus more specifically on the Genesee River as what is generically called a river keeper," board president Mike Haugh said. "When I came to town about 42 years ago, I guess from Richmond, where the James River is widely used by the population, I looked at the Genesee and couldn't understand why nobody used it."

Trash accumulating on the east bank of the river near downtown Rochester has been building up overtime. With objects covered in mud, and some trash left even in plain sight, volunteers step in to help for a variety of reasons. 

"I joke sometimes that I spent a lot of my life mining phosphate, rock and making plastic bags, and I've got a lot of karma that I've got to cure before it's my time to answer for that," Haugh said.

Others are helping assist in the cleanup in hopes it will encourage others to do the same and implement a more systematic routine. 

"It makes us satisfied that we've been able to help," Orr said. "That's why people should look for opportunities like this with our group or others where they can help because it is a satisfying thing to try and make your community better."

Genesee RiverWatch has taken this as an opportunity to not only improve water quality and public access but also advocate for a river that could change the environment for what it once was. 

"It's really connecting people with each other," Pedraza-Burgos said. "And I think all together we can really make a difference and address this issue and look at what we can do so that this is not going to be a constant problem. And also so that is for our kids as well and our kids' kids to be able to enjoy it."