Tackling the TrashBy Susan Bush
12:00AM / Monday, April 25, 2005
North Adams – Mattresses, vehicle batteries, shattered computers, broken telephones, liquor and beer bottles and even containers of food were among the abundance of trash discovered by Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts students during an April 23 community clean-up.
A city-wide trash pick-up has been part of an MCLA student-initiated community service for 14 years; this year’s effort took place under gray skies until about 11 a.m., when the about 60 men and women were doused by a cold downpour of rain. The rain forced the students back to the campus-based Hoosac Hall.
But while the garbage collection was underway, the students found plenty of trash.
“We found an area that was so filled with trash that we didn’t know where to start,†said Jennifer Rafftery, a member of the MCLA women’s soccer team.
“It’s kind of discouraging,†said Katelyn Taxiera, who is Rafftery’s teammate.
Taxiera and Rafftery worked in the Willow Dell area along with soccer team members Meg Coakley and Christine Barna.
“We found a phone, condoms, and a fake fingernail,†said Barna. “It’s like nobody cares.
“I think it’s kind of sad how much trash there is,†said Coakley.
“A lot of people have been coming by and thanking us,†added Barna.
Armed with black garbage bags, gloves, rakes and brooms, the clean-up crews attacked trash that littered several city regions, including stretches of Massachusetts Avenue and the State Street/Curran Highway area.
The students assembled at Hoosac Hall talked about their “finds.â€
“I found a bag of rotten potatoes,†said Louise Klejna.
“I found a jar of pickles and they were white,†said Ashley McGrath.
A group who worked along Massachusetts Avenue discovered an intact animal vertebra and also found 134 empty nip bottles that once held ginger brandy, according to the tiny bottle labels. “We found pretty much anything you can imagine,†said Pi Upsilon Pi fraternity member Ron Otero, who worked with other students in the South Church Street area.
“It was surprising how much trash was out there,†said men’s soccer team member Brendon McCarthy.
Many of the students said they’d participated in previous clean-ups and planned to take part in future trash collections.
“It brings us together,†said college junior Emily Sigler.
“The clean-up raises awareness,†said Kristin Whitney.
Scouring city locales for discarded trash may not sound like fun, but the benefits are genuine, said men’s soccer team member Chris Russo. "We all really feel good about ourselves,†he said.
Susan Bush may be reached at 802-823-9367 or via e-mail at suebush123@adelphia.net. |
