Austin Diaz/Fourth Estate

With seemingly more litter on the ground than previous years, could this be correlated with Mason increasing the student population?

BY AUSTIN DIAZ, STAFF WRITER

For many years, Mason has remained a campus full of life. There’s the hustle and bustle of people going to and from campus along with others spending their time out in the green areas that Mason provides. In fact, the university plays a leading role in addressing sustainability challenges; however, I believe that the influx of more students leads to more pollution on campus.   

When looking at the campus from my freshman year of 2022, I don’t recall this much pollution on campus. There were relatively full trash cans with little trash surrounding them around campus. I could say that there was no problem with pollution and littering in my first two years at Mason. But things have changed during this semester.   

At the start of the school year, I noticed there seemed to be more litter on the ground as I was walking around campus. But as the semester continued, I realized that this might be a greater issue than I first thought. 

My walks to class are filled with litter. Pollution seems to be intertwined with the campus as the days continue. But how does this relate to the influx of people on campus?   

The pollution issue may have a correlation with the recent class of 2028 being the biggest in Mason’s history. The increase of the on-campus population also increases the use of resources at Mason, potentially causing more students to leave empty wrappers or bottles on the ground as they rush to their next class.

What used to be less busy shops and restaurants around campus are now jam-packed throughout the day with long lines, which in turn means more people getting these food options as a way to eat during the day. More people buying food doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone causes the pollution on campus. But the more people buying food leads to more food in the garbage, showing how more pollution on our campus can arise. The more students on campus daily can make pollution stack up quickly.

Austin Diaz/Fourth Estate

This issue of pollution can be combated and stopped by the university in multiple ways. One way could be by increasing employees with the increase of students. Or the university could offer community service hours to Mason and local high school students to pick up the litter and make areas cleaner. 

Mason could also add a certain cap on the number of students the university accepts each year. These options would allow for a cleaner environment for both the students and the wildlife that we share this university with.  

So when you are walking to class, to your car or even to one of the many restaurants on campus and notice that the trash cans are overflowing or trash is on the ground, think about picking it up so that everyone can experience Mason’s campus and its beauty.