Roughly 130 tons of garbage were collected around the Sea of Galilee as the popular hiking site attracted an estimated 115,000 people during the holiday of Passover, reports the Kinneret Authority in a Friday press release.
Volunteer teams passed among hikers and handed out garbage bags, explaining the importance of keeping the site clean. As part of their mission, they delivered letters written by school children who live in the nearby communities.The hikers were moved by the letters and received the teams warmly.
Saying that the peaceful beaches have "brought back the families to the shores of the Sea of Galilee," head of the union of Kinneret cities Idan Greenbaum said that the handing out of garbage bags, the work of volunteer teams and increased supervision "created a model which proves itself."