Fall, the season of litter
September and October are the worst months of the year for litter on the Humber College and University of Guelph-Humber campuses, a result of the larger volume of students in the fall semester, said Humber College site coordinator Mark Palenchar.
The season of litter, or at least how well an institution responds to it, could definitely have an affect on how it is perceived, said Humber College student Liezel An. “If it isn’t taken care of, nobody would want to attend,” said An.
“There is a site maintenance crew consisting of staff members and student volunteers whose top priority is to remove litter and keep our learning environment clean,” said Palenchar. The site maintenance crew is kept busy completing tasks such as emptying receptacles, vacuuming and cleaning the parking lots.
In the fall, the site maintenance crew is out on the grounds for four hours in the morning to sweep up cigarette butts, tidy up and remove litter from campus. During the summer it takes a fraction of the time due to the lower population of students, said Palenchar.
As the fall semester progresses and the winter weather moves closer, Palenchar said that litter on campus will quickly go unnoticed.
Palenchar said that despite appearances, litter on campus has not gotten progressively worse. September is a messy month due to the volume of students and staff being outside but once it gets colder out less people will be outdoors to create litter, said Palenchar.
An also said, “I do not think that litter has gotten worse.”
“I think that whoever is cleaning up the school is probably doing an amazing job.” Besides, “There’s a garbage bin on every corner of the school, so there isn’t a reason why we should litter.”
About the Author
Stephanie Iscaro is a third year journalism student at the University of Guelph-Humber.
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