I drink from plastic water bottles, leave my laptop on when it is not being used, and spend more time in the shower than necessary. I know that I am not the most environmentally conscious individual. However, there is one simple thing I always do for the environment: use a plastic tray in the cafeteria. Glancing around the tables in the lunch room, it is clear to see that I am in the minority.
Choosing a plastic tray over a Styrofoam or paper one is an act that takes no effort, but has its rewards. It’s an easy way to do your part to keep the Earth cleaner, and, in my case at least, feel good about yourself.
“Styrofoam takes like a billion years to decompose,” says freshman Graham Rebhun. “Even though it takes longer to throw [your trash] away, its helping the earth.”
The only actual argument that non-plastic tray users seem to have is that it is too much work to walk over to the trash can. You still have get up to throw your Styrofoam tray away, but the plastic tray return is situated farther away for most tables in the cafeteria, and involves actually scraping your leftovers into the trash. Is this really a good reason? No, it is simply laziness.
Some people claim they do not know where to put a plastic tray, but you do not have to be an ace detective to figure it out. If you really can not do it alone, ask me. I will be more than happy to point you in the right direction.
“I don’t really understand what people use Styrofoam trays because using plastic trays is just as easy,” says freshman Brenna Cowardin.
It’s never too late to start doing something good for the environment. Even if you commit to using a plastic tray once a week, you can help diminish the size of our overflowing landfills. We can make the earth a little cleaner, one cafeteria tray at a time.