Trash-strewn College Green spoils students' spring day

For College junior Lisa Solomon, Friday was almost the perfect spring afternoon. But as she curled up on a sunny spot on College Green and sighed, ready to bask in the warmth of the unseasonable March weather, she was disgusted to find cigarette butts, bottle caps, papers and sandwich wrappers surrounding her. "It would be nice if it were clean," Solomon said wistfully. Although the warm weather solves some of the Department of Physical Plant's problems -- such as snow removal and salt need -- the sunshine leads to other concerns. Like Solomon, many students sitting on College Green last week found fault with the trash left all over the area, but Physical Plant administrators said the students are to blame. As the weather turned warm last week -- with temperatures heading into the 70s -- students crowded the Green as they studied, lunched or just relaxed. And by sunset each day, trash littered the area -- ranging from Snapple bottles to straw wrappers. Wharton and Engineering junior Michael Isenberg, a Castle resident, called the situation "atrocious." "I cringe when I walk down the Walk," he added. "I don't understand why it's so hard to get up and take your stuff to the bins." Isenberg, who is also president of Two Shades of Green -- a business-oriented environmental club -- said Castle residents have been "disgusted" by the Green's condition. Last Wednesday night, the residents put up a banner asking students to "Please Keep the Green Clean." They have also come together to clean College Green themselves. But College junior Rebecca Moss said the problem could be worse. "If it were mounds of garbage, it certainly would be a major problem," she said. "It's not that much of a mess." Director of Physical Plant James Wargo said the problem of trash on College Green occurs annually as the weather becomes warmer. "It happens every spring," he said. "[Students] sit down and they neglect or forget to take their trash with them." Wargo said the department tries to increase the number of trash bins in the area to entice students to throw out their garbage. This measure, however, does not always prove effective. "Students just shouldn't leave the trash out," he said. Isenberg commended the University for providing receptacles for both recycling and regular trash -- and said the students were at fault. "Students in the sixth grade in West Philly clean up their trash better than we do," he said. "We're supposed to be educated --Ebut we can't even take care of ourselves." Wargo said Physical Plant employees try to come around and clean College Green twice during the course of a day, although they also attempt not to bother the students enjoying their time on the open campus area. "There are so many people on the Green -- you don't want to disturb them," Wargo said.