SPANISH FORT, Ala. — Time will tell exactly how much debris was removed from the Delta during Saturday’s 21st annual Alabama Coastal Cleanup.

But one thing’s certain: The cleanup successfully reached it’s 1 millionth pound, according to Shonda Borden, zone captain for the cleanup at Five Rivers, Alabama’s Delta Resource Center. Borden was one of the 27 zone captains for clean-up efforts in Mobile, Baldwin, Covington and Conecuh counties.

Many residents came to Five Rivers Saturday with their kayaks and canoes in hand to help clean the Mobile-Tensaw Delta. Many brought in stray pieces of Styrofoam, tires, plastic, wood scraps, chip bags and even an oil change container and full can of oil among many other items.

Between 25 and 30 kayaks and canoes were in the water for Saturday’s cleanup, Shonda Borden, Five Rivers’ zone captain, said.

The purpose of the cleanup here in Spanish Fort was not only to make the area look nice, but to get harmful materials out of the water, Borden said.

“The main things you see at these cleanups are chip bags,” Amy King, natural resources planner for the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, said. “It’s up to the cleanup efforts to go out and clean up the debris.”

One thousand to 2,000 pounds of debris were expected to be removed from the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, King said.

Going into Saturday’s cleanup, over the past 20 years 951,987 pounds of trash had been cleaned from Alabama’s coastlines. This year the goal was to go for the 1 millionth pound, and it successfully did, Borden said.

“I think we’ve definitly hit that millionth pound,” King said during Saturday’s cleanup efforts. “We have no doubt.”

More than 5,000 volunteers came out and recovered an estimated 60,000 pounds of trash during Saturday’s cleanup, King said.

“You don’t really think about it but trash really adds up quickly,” King said. “It impedes the health of fish and wildlife.”

Janet and Rich Kennedy came out from Mobile to participate in the cleanup. The couple said they recently purchased kayaks a few months ago and wanted to use them for a good cause.

“I see trash around and I think about how I want to pick it up,” Janet said for why she participated. “I’m glad we found a lot of plastic while we were out.”

The couple came to unload their kayaks that were stacked high with Styrofoam blocks they found that had washed into an inlet.

This was the second annual cleanup held at Five Rivers. Last year’s cleanup brought in a toilet and a computer.

 “This was a great year,” Borden said.