Forum for student expression since 1977

The Patriot Press

Forum for student expression since 1977

The Patriot Press

Forum for student expression since 1977

The Patriot Press

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Don’t trash our future

How Liberty’s trash management—or lack thereof—negatively affects both our school and the environment

Trash has been a huge problem lately at Liberty—and we know this already. Our need to pick up our garbage has been addressed again and again with posters in the hall about recycling, Biology students out at lunch to help us separate trash, and spirit days during Sustainability Week.

However, despite all of these efforts, there are still the inevitable smeared tater-tots in the carpet, plastic wrappers scattered across the lunch room, and greasy pizza plates discarded on the lunch tables. It’s about time for a different way of thinking when it comes to our trash management.

The trash in the 500 wing is especially an issue. I realize that trying to enjoy that short half hour eating your lunch may make it inconvenient to go searching for the lone garbage can downstairs. I also know that the majority of us do pick up after ourselves. But for those who leave food containers in classrooms or decide to leave our food on the lunch tables, take a moment to stop and think the next time you feel tempted to do this.

 Allowing trash to be left out makes it seem okay to not be responsible for our garbage, mars our school environment, and leads to people thinking it is okay to continue littering outside our school. If we want to call ourselves worthy Patriots, we need to first respecting our school.

Taking responsibility for our waste and our resources is more than just about the basics of picking up after ourselves. Oftentimes, a single piece of trash recklessly placed in the recycling makes it so that the entire recycling can is thrown in the trash, completely negating our recycling efforts. Equally important is composting, which significantly reduces the amount of trash thrown in landfills and helps return nutrients back to the environment.

As Sustainability Week pointed out, waste management isn’t limited to just the cleanliness and pride of our school (which is still extremely important). It affects our environment and our natural capital that our whole economy is based on. It affects us personally, and even more so, it affects future generations.