An Earth Day cleanup in Eugene yielded more than half a ton of garbage.

About 70 volunteers picked up trash at Alton Baker Park on Saturday, collecting around 1,100 pounds, said Quintin Bauer, a program director with SOLVE, a Portland-based nonprofit that organizes environmental stewardship events throughout Oregon. Nearby Nature, a Eugene-based environmental nonprofit group, and SOLVE co-hosted event.

Interesting finds by volunteers at the park included a cache of broken knives, a helium tank and a shredded leather jacket, said Shaun Daniel, park host with Nearby Nature.

"We also came across a clutch of mallard eggs inside a cavity of a cottonwood — which we left, of course," he said.

Statewide, more than 5,500 volunteers collected about 49,000 pounds of trash from more than 170 sites, including parks, schoolyards and natural areas.

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