The second annual Garbage on the Green event brought out 71 volunteers Nov. 19 to revive cleanliness on campus. Volunteers worked from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. picking up 115.3 pounds of trash off campus grounds before beginning the collection and auditing process.
The trash collected was used to get an inside look at pollution on campus.
April Moore, programming manager for the Environmental Center, said the reason behind the event was to quantify what’s in UNF’s waste stream in order to identify what’s causing such an abundance of litter.
One of the most commonly collected trash items was Starbucks cups.
Moore suggested students bring reusable cups as a way to address the issue.
A detailed report of the audit is scheduled to be released Dec. 4. The findings will be presented to the Garbage on the Green committee and compared with last year’s results to see if a reduction in the amount of trash was made.
Last year’s Garbage on the Green event led to the implementation of more recycle bins on campus.
“We don’t want to do the next one too soon, so we can implement the waste production program,“ Moore said. “[But] it was a really good outcome, and the feedback was great.”
Compiled by Sarah Gojekian.