Walking around after lunch, students are confronted with overwhelming amounts of trash that cover the school grounds after nutrition and lunch. However, this problem is completely preventable and could be solved if we all put a bit more thought into our actions while on campus.
With over 4,600 students and a large staff, it is to be expected that our campus would produce this much garbage. That’s thousands of juice cartons, plastic sporks, and cardboard tray a day.
However, what should shock us is the amount of trash that is abandoned throughout the school. We are taught from a young age that trash belongs in the trash can, and there is no reason for us to abandon this habit. Trash cans are placed throughout campus in convenient locations to encourage us to use them when we need to, and yet we still leave our trash out.
“The amount of trash after lunch surprises me and it makes the school look bad,” junior Ysabela Valencia said.
In addition, not picking up our trash creates more work for the custodial staff at school. The school custodians already work hard to keep campus clean, and we should not create extra work for them, especially when this is work that we can and should easily do ourselves. If we all put a little bit more effort in, we can do a lot for those working to help keep our school clean.
Everyone shares the campus, so it only makes sense that we all treat it the best way we can. We all deserve a clean learning environment, and should not develop habits that make this more difficult to attain.
“Littering, not only at school but anywhere, is not appropriate because it contributes to environmental harm,” Valencia said.
Furthermore, we cannot excuse these negative littering habits, as that may very likely result in our mistreatment of the earth around us. If we continue to ignore the amount of trash we produce and how we dispose of that trash, then our future is not very bright.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in 2017 we produced 267.8 million pounds of municipal solid waste, otherwise known as garbage. This equates to 4.51 pounds of trash per person per day.
We cannot continue to treat our school, and ultimately our earth like this. We have the power to change our actions and make better choices that can improve this world for everyone. If we all try to produce less waste, and are more thoughtful with how we dispose of that garbage, we can have a positive impact for ourselves, and everyone around us.
The Plaid Press 