A coordinated effort comprising dozens of groups and hundreds of volunteers cleared debris and trash along Aiea’s Pearl Harbor Bike Path on Saturday morning.

Volunteers worked along the 5-mile stretch, which runs from the Aiea Bay State Recreation Area into Waipahu, to fish out trash that had been sitting in the tall grass on either side of the bike path.

The Eco Rotary Club of Kakaako and the Hawaii Bicycling League organized the community cleanup. League Executive Director Lori McCarney said 35 organizations were represented in the effort.

“People just said they wanted to help,” McCarney said at Neal S. Blaisdell Park. “The vision I had was that we’re able to get a coalition long term to help support this … and that we can make this like some of the greenways in other places. For biking, there’s very few places you can go where there aren’t cars.”

She estimated that about 300 volunteers helped clean up Saturday, and a city spokesperson said about 3 to 4 tons of trash was collected.

Over the years, homeless encampments have been set up along the path and cleared by authorities, then reestablished, and much of the trash volunteers removed Saturday was rusty parts for cars, motorcycles and mopeds.

Honolulu City Councilman Brandon Elefante, who picked up trash along the path near Blaisdell Park, said he hopes it can become more accessible for recreation.

Elefante said he wants the trail to be a “world-class destination.”

Near Waipahu High School, dozens of volunteers busied themselves filling up blue trash bags with debris from along the path. Among them were at least 60 volunteers from the Navy and Air Force.

Capt. Erik Spitzer, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam commander who was volunteering with his son, said he wants to “contribute to the efforts of making it safer for folks and keeping the bike path open so people don’t feel afraid to use it and are encouraged to remain healthy and fit.”

The path is bound on either side by grass, but if maintained, users would be able to get a view of the water at Pearl Harbor’s East Loch.

Saturday’s cleanup followed Earth Day on Thursday, Elefante noted, and coincided with National Volunteer Week.

The Pearl Harbor Bike Path runs along the longer Pearl Harbor Historic Trail and connects to the Leeward Bikeway, which stretches to Nanakuli.