Jack Caiaccio
For my community outreach project, I decided to focus on cleaning up tailgate trash after the Missouri football game. Our group cleaned up the areas behind O-House, and down near Tanyard Creek. It is very evident that tailgating has a major effect on the city of Athens, but it goes too far when people leave their trash, especially cans, on the ground. The University cleaning crews do a good job of getting garbage picked up at the main tailgate areas, but they missed some of the areas that are not as heavily populated on game days.
During our outreach project, we walked around with garbage bags and picked up trash, mostly empty cans and bottles. We picked up about 3 trash bags worth of garbage as a group, and some members even got an old tire and ironing board from the river bank. During the cleanup, I realized how important it is to keep our beautiful campus clean. The UGA officials do such a great job and we sometimes take that for granted, but when you get behind the scenes, you realize just how much tailgating affects the area.
Keeping our campus clean should be a priority for every single UGA student. It was rewarding to help clean up the campus that so many of us call home. I believe that if every remains environmentally conscious during game day, we can avoid any littering during games and truly have one of the best campuses in the world.
