MILWAUKEE -- You may be thinking about going to the beach, this 4th of July weekend.
Milwaukee County Parks workers gave us a sobering look at the amount of trash they pick up, afterwards.
Parks workers wake up at dawn to win the war over beach litter, with the help of a groomer machine. It sifts through the sand six hours each day, to pick up the smallest trash, such as cigarettes.
The operations manager tells us litter from that machine alone will fill up a 36-foot-long dumpster each Summer week, from Bradford Beach.
The operations director tells us three more workers have been added to the team of cleaners in the past two years. Parks workers will pick up garbage for about four hours, each Summer day. Another 90-foot-long dumpster is filled to the brim each week from that trash.
The new Milwaukee County Parks director hopes this serves as a strong reminder to do your part before a busy weekend.
"Just take it with you-your own garbage. We want to make sure we do everything we can to keep trash away from the lake," explained Guy Smith, Milwaukee County Parks Director.
There are other measures in place to keep Lake Michigan clean, including a green infrastructure in place right now to help trap the trash before it gets into the water.
Bird management uses border collies to keep geese off the beach to help with water quality.
There are also volunteer workers that have clean up events.
