Around Poly, traveling by catwalks and stairs is obviously a necessity. That’s why it is a problem to litter them with trash. After the lunch bell it seems that some people are leaving large amounts of their trash around doorways, next to trash cans (not in them), in stairwells. Not only is this inconsiderate, but it has a couple of related problems as well.
First off, leaving empty lunch trays and half eaten bread rolls everywhere makes Poly look bad, and by extension, everyone who calls it home for four years. People who leave trash everywhere are people who don’t care about the way their surroundings look. Nobody would just toss trash on the ground at their house, so why does it happen at school, where the space is shared with thousands of other people? Is it to get back at ‘the man’, stick it to the district for the subpar school lunches? Or because they like wading through trash to get down the stairs? Either way, it seems inconsiderate to pile up trash in corners on the catwalks or on flights of stairs. It can’t be for lack of trash cans, because not only are they everywhere, but they’re beautifully painted.
Another reason to not leave trash all over the catwalks and on the stairs is the safety risks associated with sliding down stairs. Imagine: walking along, minding your own business when you slip in a puddle of discarded chocolate milk and tumble down the stairs. The catwalks also aren’t safe from these hazardous milk puddles. As we all know from our brief bought of rainy days, the catwalks can get extremely slippery when wet. So: save lives, toss your milk cartons in a trash can.
The final reason to leave trash safely in trash cans where it belongs is the big one: the dreaded seagulls. Yes, surprisingly enough, seagulls enjoy eating the bits of discarded food left in old burrito wrappers and plastic containers. Just because you didn’t want it doesn’t mean the seagulls won’t pick up your slack. If common decency isn’t enough of a reason to pick up trash after lunch, consider the way it makes the school look, the danger of sliding to your death (or maybe just a bruise), and the possibility of a ‘gift’ from above. The seagulls won’t appreciate it, but everyone else will.
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