Just a glance at our campus will make one realize that Carlmont has a big problem.
With our litter-filled halls and lack of available recycling options, it seems Carlmont is becoming less and less eco-friendly by the day.
“It is pathetic,demoralizing, and discouraging,” explained French teacher Kathy Burton about the current trash situation at Carlmont.
With the recyclable reception containers nonexistent throughout the campus, it is hard to believe that a conscious effort is being made.
“To be blunt, I think Carlmont needs more recycling bins; we would not have a litter problem if we just had a few of them,” said sophomore Jake Retchless.
“I do not think I have ever seen a recycling bin on campus other than the one behind the school,” said sophomore Cena Cook.
Realizing this issue, the administration has finally ordered more recycling bins to cover the campus.
Until then, our overworked staff is forced to make up for the lack of containers.
With a staff whose sole purpose is to keep the campus clean and improve the eco-friendly aspect of Carlmont, keeping the campus green should not be a problem.
“We do have a cleaning staff but due to recent cuts our already small staff got even smaller,” explained Jerome Harris, current plant manager. “With only three guys to cover the campus daily, we just do not have the capability.”
With a whopping 43 acres of land to cover, the staff cannot succeed in keeping Carlmont clean unless they get some help, as Harris suggested.
“The really important thing is that we need the help of the students,” continued Harris. “You need to realize that it is your guys’ campus as well and you need to do your part in taking care of your campus.”
Although there is a current recycling club, the small size of the club in comparison to Carlmont leaves their efforts not as successful as it could be with more support.
Even though joining a recycling or trash collection club may not be in the best interests if most students, showing support for Carlmont’s cleanliness can be as simple as thinking twice before putting that used piece of gum under a desk or littering in front of a trash can.
Any student of a public high school is familiar with the sight of vandalism.
Whether it simply is a messy bathroom floor covered in toilet paper or more extreme measures like broken equipment and spray painted walls, it does more than is intended.
Some may think their mischievous actions do not affect anything, but with the small staff, everything turns into a big ordeal.
“We have to deal with people doing things like purposely destroying bathrooms,” continued Harris. “Instead of being able to do our normal jobs, we [cleaning staff members] have to go deal with that.”
With 90 trash cans placed around the most populated areas of Carlmont’s campus, ample opportunity to properly dispose of litter is not an issue.
“[The students] are unthinking and irresponsible,” continued Burton. “[They are] wrapped up in their own worlds.”
“It is not that they lack the ability to keep Carlmont clean,” explained Ralph Crame, current administrator, of the students. “They prefer to socialize and eat rather than properly dispose of their waste, whether it is recycling or trash.”
So whether you are simply leaving a small wrapper on the ground or putting a tin can in the trash rather than a recycling container, take a second and think about what you are doing.
