ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Earth Day is just around the corner, and as part of the celebration, residents were invited to participate in Albuquerque's annual clean-up day. "There's a lot of pride in this neighborhood, and we try to keep it clean,” said Richard Romero, a volunteer with the Rayno lds Addition Neighborhood Association. Volunteers with the Raynolds Addition Neighborhood Association, west of Downtown Albuquerque, picked up their grabbers, fluffed out their trash bags, and got to work Saturday morning. Coordinator of the Raynolds Addition cleanup, Stephanie Elliott, said the event has become a yearly routine, “It's expected, and people will ask about it.” Some residents have participated for decades. "Well, we do it every year, and I've been doing it for almost 30 years,” said Romero. City of Albuquerque working on ‘ABQ Plan’ issues The city lends a helping hand to the different organizations who participate in their one Albuquerque event. "They support us by providing gloves. We can rent grabbers and trash bags," said Elliott. A trash pick-up service is also provided by the city, which organizers say is a big help in their goal of cleaning up their neighborhood. "I think it's just great. I think it's a good excuse to meet up with your neighbors. I think it's a good excuse to do something good for your community, and actually, I think, if anything, I just wish maybe the city had more of these, not just once a year,” said Elliott. Elliott stressed the importance of bringing people downtown to enjoy her neighborhood as much as she does. “I think that this area, Raynolds Addition, is a special, I call it the sweet spot of Albuquerque because it's close to the river, it's close to downtown, it's bikeable, there's lots of great places just for walking,” said Elliott. Albuquerque City Council allow development project on west side to move forward After two hours of work, Raynold Additions’ eleven volunteers filled multiple trash bags with litter. "We love where we live, and you know, if you love it, you'll do whatever you can to keep it up,” said Romero. The city is also asking residents to drop off old electronics to recycle on Earth Day, April 22. Go to www.cabq.gov/solidwaste to find the full list of accepted items and where to drop them off for free. ...read more read less