Photo courtesy of junior May Ritter

  The members of San Luis Obispo High School’s Environmental Club host weekly trash pick-ups, in which they walk around the school’s campus and leave it much better than they found it. 

  On November 10, the club ended up picking up 32 pounds of trash, and so far this year, the total amount of trash they have picked up exceeds 100 pounds. 

  “I collect the weight of every pickup we do, and I hope to use this data to create a campaign for more trash cans in important locations on campus, or just to give a statistical vehicle for people to realize that a group of students can make a significant impact on the cleanliness of their campus, as could any individual over time.,” said president of SLOHS Environmental Club and junior May Ritter. 

  Interestingly, the club has noticed that most of the waste found on campus consists of empty chocolate milk cartons and disposable masks, as well as Zip-loc bags. The trash is most prominent in the construction site areas around campus. 

  “Use reusable products! There are sustainable alternatives for most lunchware we bring to school daily, and we can be aware that almost everything we use, like Zip-loc bags, have the potential for a second life. Buy less, use more,” said Ritter. 

  The club’s weekly cleanups are a great step towards creating a less polluted environment and reducing potentially harmful waste. 

  Students should be mindful of their peers and try to pick up after themselves when possible so that other students aren’t left with that burden.

 “We are completely responsible for the waste we create and to counter this we must be stewards of any area we enjoy or need, like our campus,” said Ritter.

  The Environmental Club hosts these cleanups every Tuesday, and meets in Mrs. Macartney’s classroom, room 158. Join to help the club clean the trash around SLOHS’ campus!