For most people, picking up the last piece of trash in a gargantuan solo clean-up mission would be a relief.
But for Edgar McGregor, it was only the beginning.
McGregor, a 20-year-old who says he has autism, set out to clean Eaton Park, a 58-acre park and hiking destination in southern California.
The environmentalist told NPR he embarked on his ambitious project when he learned Los Angeles would host the 2028 Olympic Games and feared the trash-filled destination would become a “global embarrassment.”
McGregor remained dedicated, showing up with two buckets to clean up, even if it meant braving the elements.
“Whether it was 117 degrees or if it was raining ash and the mountains were on fire, or if it was pouring down rain, it didn't matter,” he said. “I was out here for at least an hour, every single day, cleaning up my park.”
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When he originally ventured out, McGregor estimated the project would take 10-20 days of some time after work on his 12-hour warehouse shift.
It ended up taking over a year and a half.
While he was able to clean some spots in the park for good, part of the delay was due to him having to return to clean other locations several times.
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"Some places were very dirty, but if I returned to them months later, they were still clean," he told the outlet. "Other places would get dirty every single week, and I'd need to clean them up dozens of times per year. Throughout all of this, I learned where every single canyon, tree, and bush was in my park."
On March 5, he announced that he was officially done with the clean-up in a celebratory video shared to his Twitter.
"For the first time in 589 days, I can say with confidence that my park, Eaton Canyon, one of Los Angeles' most popular hiking trails — if not the most popular hiking trail — is completely free of municipal waste," McGregor said in the clip.
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Among the many who congratulated McGregor on social media was Greta Thunberg, the fellow 18-year-old climate change activist from Sweden who has raised awareness of the climate strike movement around the world.
“Well done and congratulations!!” Thunberg cheered him on.
Even though his immediate project is done, his job’s just begun. McGregor plans to return to Eaton several times a week, as well as branching out to clean other parks in the area.
For more ideas on how you can save the planet, visit 1Thing.
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