RALEIGH — Picking up litter paid off for two Triangle workers who were winners in the spring “unusual litter contest” sponsored by Keep NC Beautiful.

Christopher Cassada, who works for Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnology in Morrisville, won second place in the contest for finding some sort of machine that accepts currency on Leesville Road near U.S. 70. For that, he won $100.

Third-place winner Leigh Adams, who works for Kenexa RPO in Cary, won $50 for finding a pair of men’s shoes covered in moss during a cleanup on Reedy Creek Road and Weston Parkway in Cary.

The nonprofit Keep NC Beautiful and PepsiCo sponsor the contest twice a year to draw attention to the trash that lines the state’s roads and waterways. Anyone who participates in an organized litter cleanup is eligible.

This spring’s contest winner, Kathy Mitchell, found a paper Brazilian real on Airport Road in Manteo. A real is worth about 50 cents, but to Mitchell it was worth a $250 prize.