Canoeists traversed the Seine River and Red River in Winnipeg Sunday, but instead of simply basking in the natural landscape, they were searching for trash to collect.

The clean-up, called the Seine River Sweep, was the brainchild of André MacNair, who frequently canoes the river. He became concerned about the amount of garbage he saw in the water and on its neighbouring trails.

Volunteers picked up trash both near and on the rivers. (Marouane Refak/CBC) He and a group of friends first tested the sweep in April, gathering some surprising items.

"We gathered about a full truckload of garbage, so the whole box was full, had a computer monitor, there was ... whatever you want to name, it was probably in the river."

About a dozen people joined the garbage cleanup. (Marouane Refak/CBC) About a dozen volunteers turned up Sunday, including Maxime Forest.

"I've lived in St. Boniface my whole life and we paddle down this river every summer and we always see some garbage and we keep saying to ourselves, let's pick up the garbage one day, and this is that."