Six tons of pop cans, peanut shells, paper cups and pizza boxes were hauled out of Jack Trice Stadium after the football game Saturday night.

Helping out with this enormous job were about 300 members of The Salt Company, a local religious organization, who spent their after-game hours picking up, bagging and throwing away the remains of the Iowa State-Iowa game. They call themselves “Janitors of God.”

Armed with heavy-duty black garbage bags and dressed in matching T-shirts, Janitors of God cleaned the stands, the bleachers, the grass areas, the bathrooms, behind the stands and more.

“Our hardest cleanup is actually the Iowa game,” said Paul Sabino, Salt Company member and senior in mechanical engineering.

Although it’s not the most fun task under the sun, the members of The Salt Company didn’t mind the hard work.

“It adds to school spirit to help,” said Kelly Gunst, freshman in pre-business. Friday’s game was Gunst’s second time working with Janitors of God.

“I enjoy it, oddly enough,” said Brandon Hitch, junior in mechanical engineering who has attended The Salt Company for three years.

Janitors of God began about seven years ago, said Troy Nesbitt, pastor of Cornerstone Church and Salt Company adviser. The group was recommended by a former student to clean the Iowa State Center after a Pink Floyd concert.

“According to the people who were there, we did an excellent job. We were then referred by the Iowa State Center to the stadium,” he said.

After that, The Salt Company was offered the contract to clean Jack Trice Stadium after home football games that year.

The cleanups take anywhere from one and one half to three hours. Volunteers get into the game free and are treated to free pizza by The Salt Company after the clean up.

Sabino hopes the contract continues to be renewed in the future.

“It is the major thing that funds our ministry,” he said. “It allows us to offer retreats, classes and teaching to students at little or no cost.”

However, Janitors of God is more than just a money-making endeavor for The Salt Company.

“It really builds unity within our group. It is a great way to meet people,” Sabino said.

The group normally has from 100 to 150 volunteers sign up to clean the stadium after each home game.

“You can look back and you have a feeling of accomplishment because it is all clean,” said Heather Marshall, freshman in elementary education.

Hitch said he gained a more practical insight.

“I never litter anymore because I know someone else has to pick it up,” he said.