When you go to the movies or sporting event, is it right to leave behind such a mess? Who actually is the one who cleans up that mess? Would you leave that kind of
These are all questions that went through my mind when I worked one evening after a basketball game. As a member of the custodial staff, I have seen how messy we are and we don’t think twice about it. That particular evening was after both the women’s and the men’s basketball teams had played in Brownson Arena. Cleaning of the bleachers is such a long process, especially when they are left as messy as these were.
Not only were there papers left behind, but there were also drink cups, bottled water, snack packages, as well as candy and popcorn. There were even unopened candy and gum packages left behind. All of this, and there were trash cans placed throughout the bleachers for people to throw their trash away. We even change them out throughout the games to ensure that there is plenty of room in them for remaining trash. The popcorn mess is to be expected. Who doesn’t spill popcorn? I know I have on occasion. On this particular day though, there was even chewed up bubble gum and melted nacho cheese messes.
A good chunk of the custodial workers are student workers, just as I am. When it comes to the bleachers, we have to pick up everything left behind, sweep up the messes and then mop them before they can be closed up until the next use.
Fast forward to softball season. There is a new VIP bleacher area. These bleachers were just put in. Those were even a mess. Spit out sunflower seed everywhere, crackers, fruit and who knows what else. The other sets were not so bad.
I know this is more of a rant from a person who has to clean up after these events, but we all need to think about what we are doing. There are plenty of trash cans that are around each set of bleachers. These are there for you to put your trash in when you are done. If you come with friends and family and see that they don’t seem to care and are just leaving stuff behind, ask them to pick it up and throw it away. Keep in mind, ‘Would you want to be the one to clean up the mess?’ And the pay is less than that of full time custodial staff due to being paid as student workers. So, be kind and help out your fellow classmates who may be working in the custodial department.
Also, by picking up after ourselves, we can help to maintain the cleanliness of our sporting areas. Since the areas are not cleaned until the evening, it will also prevent trash from being spread throughout the campus areas.
Let’s all do our part and keep our school clean. Let’s show the community that we care about our school and our community!
