For much of this past weekend, the grass on Foss Hill was barely visible because students occupied every square inch of space. Unfortunately, after many students called it a day and went elsewhere, the grass was still out of sight—it was covered in the trash that students had left.
“It was disgusting,” said Rachel Lurie ’09. “At the time it just sort of struck me. I was disappointed. I think it’s wonderful that we can have days like that and enjoy what the campus has to offer, but we’re not going be able to do that if it ends up being treated like a dumpster.”
In response to the copious amount of trash left on the hill, Lurie, along with several other students organized an impromptu clean up. “The band ended and there was stuff everywhere, and my friend Izaak [Orlansky ’08] was really pathetically walking around and putting bottles in [a trash bag] and I felt really bad and started cleaning up with him,” said Environmental Organizers Network (EON) member Emily Sarice Greenstein ’10. “Eventually, a bunch of my friends and people from EON started [helping]. We got blue bins from the Nics and WestCo and literally cleaned up the whole hill, which was really exciting.”
EON members were happy to find other students working alongside them to pick up the trash.
“We were really encouraged by some of the students’ reactions when some EON members started cleaning up,” said EON member Anne Rosenthal ’10. “A lot of people started pitching in and we were really heartened by that.”
This willingness to help was not unexpected from students.
“I think it speaks to the personality of the Wes student,” Orlansky, another EON member, said. “We want to have fun, but we’re also willing to help out. And the spontaneity of the entire thing was just wonderful.”
Though picking up the trash on Foss Hill solved this weekend’s trash problem, EON members want a more long-lasting, sustainable solution to the problem.
“As it gets warmer, Wesleyan needs to provide more opportunities for us to recycle and throw away our trash, like putting out the portable receptacles that are used during reunion and commencement,” Orlansky said.
Many students think that the placement of just a few trashcans near the hill would make all the difference.
“If we could find a way to put basic receptacles out there, the results would be really positive,” Rosenthal said.
As the weather gets warmer, the need for trashcans on the hill becomes increasingly important.
“We want the cans out there definitely for Spring Fling, but maybe for always since people are out there always when it’s nice out,” Greenstein said.
Manager of Grounds and Special Events Dave Hall says that the idea has been considered and rejected.
“Garbage happens every time it gets warm,” Hall said. “We’ve talked about containers a couple of times. There’s no good way of putting something in the middle [of the hill, but we] have to be careful about putting something that wouldn’t roll down and hurt someone.”
The trustees also have reservations about placing trashcans in the area, according to members of EON.
“They [the trustees] don’t like putting bins in places that they think will detract from the scenery,” said Amanda Hungerford ’07, a member of EON. “It’s nice to keep the aesthetic, but it’s also important to keep things from getting too trashed.”
Even if there are no recycling bins on Foss Hill, it is important for students to take an active effort to keep the campus clean.
“To mitigate the potentially harmful effects of polluting the hill, we ask that students remember to dispose of their trash and recyclables in the proper receptacles,” said EON member Gregory Silver ’10.
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