With fall around the corner and football season already kicking off, it’s time for tailgates, parties and the occasional bad decision. But let me be very clear: throwing your trash on the ground shouldn’t be one of them. Let me be the first person to say — pick up your trash! Seriously.
Oregon is home to some of the most unique and beautiful landscapes in the country, and we like to keep it that way by taking care of our environment. It’s not just a cultural thing — it’s the law. In fact, in Oregon, littering on highways, waterways or other properties is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by a fine up to $6,250, imprisonment up to one year or both!
In an Earth Island Institute report, it was found that the United States accounts for “only about 4% of the world’s population yet generates 12% of the planet’s municipal solid waste (MSW), better known as garbage.” This makes the U.S. the most wasteful country in the world.
But what does that have to do with us? Well, we’re bad with trash.
Take Japan, for example. There, garbage is generally separated into burnable, non-burnable and recyclable items, but you must rinse all items thoroughly to remove any food residue or oil before disposal. This simple practice of washing plastics is significant because it can eliminate any pollutants from seeping into the waterways or soil. And in the U.S., it’s basically a free-for-all. I mean, have you ever been to a bottle drop?
I interviewed Spencer So from somuchlove, a multi-platform creative community devoted to spreading love, who spoke on his understanding of litter culturally. “I was lucky enough to be traveling at a young age and my parents took me to Japan, being that we are Japanese. A large part of Japanese culture is to respect community spaces and really make sure those are well-maintained and very well taken care of. Unfortunately, that’s just not something that is the same here culturally, which is really sad,” So said.
In a Keep America Beautiful litter study, researchers found that there are nearly 50 billion pieces of litter on roadways and waterways. This gets me thinking about our beautiful walk to Autzen Stadium. How much trash is thrown into the river on game days?
Turns out, someone else was already thinking about it. In 2023, former ASUO Secretary of Sustainability Rachel Withers partnered up with somuchlove to put trash bags up and around the walk to Autzen during the 2023 spring game. And to her surprise — people used them. The following year, in 2024, Rachel and Spencer teamed up again, this time bringing out their iconic red trash bins. And once again, it was a hit.
When I asked Withers about the project, she said, “When you’re working in a bureaucratic process that requires so much red tape, it’s hard to feel like the work that you’re doing is actually yielding any results. So, being able to set up this project on the fly and then seeing people actually use this resource amazed me. I think it had a pretty big impact in comparison to the amount of effort that it took.”
Withers continued by saying, “I think that if people realize that they could have a good impact on the world in ways that don’t have to be super strenuous, then maybe we could all make it a little better.”
Whether you’re tailgating at Autzen, hiking in the Gorge or just stumbling out of a party: don’t trash Oregon. We Ducks love our home. Don’t pollute it.
Editor’s note: The Daily Emerald’s Photo Editor Saj Sundaram is the Photography Director for somuchlove. Spencer So of somuchlove was previously employed on The Emerald’s photo desk. Neither were involved with the writing, editing or production of this piece.
