Presque Isle State Park attendance jumped to almost 5 million people in each of the last two years.

With all of those visitors, unfortunately, not everybody cleans up after themselves.

It could be as simple as leaving your milkshake cup or a chips bag behind.

But with the increase in visitors comes a greater increase in people wanting to keep Presque Isle clean.

Jeff McCullor, the co-founder of Erie Ale Works, organized a recent cleanup.

“The beach over the summer takes a pounding from just a lot of heavy traffic use and we feel like it’s an important asset to the community and we just want to keep it that way,” McCullor told Erie News Now.

What are beachgoers littering Presque Isle with?

“The biggest item that we see are cigarette butts and just plastics of any sort. It’s plastic stuff like plastic bottles, plastic bottle rings, the caps — things that people may not be aware that are leaving behind,” McCullor told the television news station.

You, too, can take part in cleaning up Presque Isle.

How?

• If you’re a visitor, be sure to take everything you brought back with you.
• Place trash in the proper bins located throughout the park.
• It’s usually windy at Presque Isle. So, use rocks or other heavy items to keep items in place.
• Be alert of children with plastics, food wrappers, drink containers, toys, etc.
• Try to pack using reusable containers that often are heavier than plastics.
• Bring a bag with you to clean up other people’s messes. Don’t just walk over the trash, pick it up.

Remember: Leave Presque Isle better than you found it.