Student Testimonials

"Participating in a Clean Up Campus event was an eye-opening experience. I was aware that littering was an issue, but I never realized the extent of the problem until I was actively picking up trash myself.

What shocked me the most was the massive amount of waste right in front of the Gandy Dancer, a high-end restaurant known for its fine dining experience. Inside, people were enjoying expensive meals, while right outside of the windows they were overlooking was a park littered with huge containers, mattresses, plastic, and so much paper.

It was very disheartening to see such visible pollution in an area that caters to people who likely have the resources and influence to make a difference, yet little action seems to be taken.

One of the biggest takeaways from this experience was how much of the waste could have been recycled. I was so surprised to find so many recyclable items mixed in with general litter, and so much paper – it reinforces the idea that the purpose of proper recycling is very often overlooked. It also made me reflect on how easy it is to ignore a problem when it does not directly impact us.

This experience emphasized the importance of community responsibility in maintaining a cleaner environment. Organizations like Clean Up Campus are doing incredible work, but long-term change requires a collective effort. Businesses, residents, and students alike must take more initiative, whether that means properly disposing of waste, advocating for more accessible recycling options, or simply being more mindful of our own environmental impact"

-Anonymous

My experience with Clean Up Campus was overwhelmingly positive. It was extremely easy to sign up and the process was fun and stress free. I thought the clean up process was going to be more involved, however, it was straightforward and fun. We took our time cleaning up trash while chatting and I had a good time. I enjoyed feeling like I was helping the environment by picking up trash and seeing the before and after pictures was cool. It felt like we weren't picking up that much trash but in reality we had picked up over 15ish pounds. I didn't realize how much trash there was around campus, I'd never really seen a ton but there was more than enough trash to pick up during our hours. I wish that more people took care of their garbage cans and were more thoughtful about littering. I know that a lot of the trash we picked up wasn't a direct consequence of littering, but someone somewhere was careless with their stuff and their garbage habits and it lead to a lot of trash. I think that spreading awareness or posting pictures of the amount of trash around Ann Arbor might have an impact. If people saw what it looks like when the city's covered in trash, they might rethink their habits and be more thoughtful about how they're treating the environment. Overall, my experience with Clean Up Campus was positive and impactful. I would definitely sign up again and feel like I really helped clean up Ann Arbor. 

-Anonymous

I thought volunteering with Clean Up Campus was interesting. It was fun to go outside and do something good for the community while conversing with others. The little trash grabbers were fun to click, which was a plus. However, something that was surprising to me was the dichotomy between the trash-covered area and the fancy restaurant. We picked up trash along the railroad next to Gandy Dancer, and the people eating were overlooking an area completely filled with trash. It was interesting how the restaurant, known for being expensive, was overlooking all the waste. It showcased the distance we have from our waste and littering habits. Another thing that shocked me was the amount of school-related waste we found. We kept finding these poems about animals that could have belonged to a visiting class or something. I feel like we aren't aware of the amount of paper we use for class, which is surprising because UMICH tries to be sustainable, but I have a lot of classes that give paper handouts that students just end up throwing away. With that being said, I expected papers to be the most common waste Clean Up Campus picked up, but its not. Most trash picked up is plastic, and also cigarettes. There was a lot of cigarettes. To combat this amount of litter, Ann Arbor could make more trashcans available. Where we were picking up trash, there were only two trashcans at the very beginning of the sidewalk path. I feel like if there were places to put trash more frequently throughout the path, it would combat the trash people throw on the ground. In addition, we could use less paper in classes because it will end up being thrown out rather than actually used. 

-Mikey