Styrofoam trays, milk cartons, pizza slices, and everything in between can be found lying around campus on any given day. By simply taking a walk around campus, students lack of regard for their environment is sometimes in question.

Many students do not throw away their trash in the first place, let alone recycle. The sheer amount of trash on campus is becoming overwhelming. The administration has tried different methods to fix this problem such as closing off seating areas during lunches where high amounts of trash are typically found and using the announcements to encourage students to pick up after themselves. So far none of these ideas have worked, but two students think they have found a solution.

Sophomores Ethan Poliner and Cooper Stubbs have recently been making progress on their plans to eliminate litter on campus in a more environmentally way. Through the Civic Engagement and Innovation Lab (previously known as PSI High), and with the help of Mrs. Davis and Mr. Furg, the students developed the Green Team.

“I feel like for an engineering school the students aren’t setting a good example when they litter so much,” sophomore Ethan Poliner stated. “I don’t believe that they think about the reputation of the school when they decide to leave their trash on the ground. Our all around goal is to have a fully functioning recycling system, gain some profit out of it, and make an impact on the environment.”

Over the past few months, Poliner and Stubbs have been emptying bins, storing the recyclables, and transporting the collected items to the recycling facility themselves. Currently they are in the process of distributing recycling bins to individual classrooms they have received by donations and profits earned from the aluminum cans and water bottles they have gained so far. In addition, these two are developing a group of students to help expand the program and increase recycling known as the Green Team.

Although they have not yet eliminated the trash problem on campus, the future is looking green and clean.