Trash everywhere. Bottles crunch underneath tires as cars pull into the parking lots. Wrappers from Taco Bell, McDonalds, Little Caesar’s and many more are strewn about, creating a layer of refuse on the cement. Seagulls and crows fly through and pick up debris, almost as if playing a game of trash football amongst each other, and as each player on the team fumbles the ball another picks it up for a recovery. Many of the nearby trees and bushes are dressed in the waste, while cardboard boxes and glass bottles embody the bark and the roots. The limbs wave in the wind as they cheer on the game. Trash hops out of many of the idling vehicles, rustling as it scuttles to see the spectacle. This game of sorts plays day in and day out at Marshfield, and it needs to stop. As Pirates we should be proud of our school and clean up. The custodians, visitors and the environment do not profit from any of the trash lying around.
The custodians are often seen with a mop and a broom helping keep the hallways presentable. They clean the bathrooms, fix the windows in the old buildings and eight hours a day they work hard caring for the campus. When there are messes in the cafe or the cafeteria, they are on it.
While it is in their job description to clean, it is not their job to pick up something a person could have thrown away themselves.
Visitors from all over the country come to Marshfield. They come for sporting events, including the Prefontaine annual run and exchange students come to experience America. Parents also come to school quite often. The first thing they should see is the beautiful campus as it was designed to be seen. Instead, when a person enters either parking lot of the school, they see the remnants of an assortment of food wrappers. Lately students have even been so careless as to throw an entire pizza box on the ground.
The bay environment Coos Bay and North Bend residents live in is affected by the trash left on the campus as well. The plastics and cardboard used in many of these materials are very harmful. When birds pick these pieces up and toss them around, many choke on the trash, which can lead to their death. Why should one care about the death of such bothersome birds? Let me explain. When the birds start to die off, the fish population will grow and will eventually exceed its food supply. When they do not have as many nutrients, the fish grow at a slower rate and are much skinnier. This in turn will affect the fishing industry, which is a big part of the community. Some parents’ jobs could be put in jeopardy.
In order to help the custodians present a clean campus to visitors and keep the environment clean, one must pick up not only after oneself, but also after others. A clean school is another way of proving that we are better than other schools in Coos County. It is also an easy way to rake in those community service hours needed for graduation by cleaning up around campus. Some groups have already taken the initiative to clean up the school including Josh Line’s football class, National Honor Society and the science classes during the annual Earth Week. If students do not begin caring for the campus, the administration should consider issuing a fine or other punishment for students caught littering to ensure that they will think twice about throwing it out in the first place.
