For my outreach project, I participated in the tailgate cleanup after the Missouri game. Our goal was to collect trash that was left behind after tailgating. The group I was in walked along Tanyard Creek from Oglethorpe to Bolton. On the way back, we walked along South Lumpkin Street. Overall, there was not that much trash left behind. The university hires a crew to clean up after gameday, and they do a great job collecting trash. However, there were still places where we were able to collect trash. The majority of trash found were hidden away next to walking paths. There was also some trash in the creek. The majority of trash collected was related to tailgating. We mainly collected bottles, cans, and red solo cups.
During this project, I was surprised about the tailgate trash situation. I was surprised that a cleanup crew works that well and fast to clean our campus, and I was also shocked that people would throw their trash off to the side or in the creek. What concerned me more was the broken glass that we came across. At a few places, we came across broken glass bottles on the sidewalk. This is dangerous for people to walk around. People need to be more considerate when they have glass bottles. Even with all the trash cans dispersed for gameday, there are some people who will just leave their trash on the ground. By participating in this outreach, it made me appreciate the people who clean the UGA campus. After gamedays, the campus is a wreck, and these workers will clean the whole campus. This experience made me more aware of maintaining a clean environment around UGA. It helped me understand that everyone needs to chip in to keep the great appearance of our campus.