Environmental Effects of Covid on Campus

There have been countless effects of COVID. Different aspects of the pandemic, such as the reduced use of cars, planes, and huge office buildings during the lockdown, were beneficial for the environment. However, I feel on campus as if we are moving backwards when working towards a "green," environmental-friendly campus. The first example of this is with masks. We all need to wear masks to keep each other safe, but walking around campus, you can see them scattered around on the ground, stuck in bushes, and in other random places. Many students and teachers use reusable masks, but there are still countless people who are not, and the masks they are failing to throw away are polluting the environment. The biggest environmental issue I have seen on campus is from the dining halls. Due to COVID, they are not using plates, so when you enter, you are given a Styrofoam container and a package of silverware with a napkin. This is causing so much waste.

The trash cans around campus are overflowing and have become infected with flies. The dining hall is selling plastic containers that are reusable, but most students see them as a burden because they have to carry them around and wash them. The dining halls are also not allowing for reusable water bottles to be filled, so this means that paper and Styrofoam cups are also being added to the huge amount of waste. I understand that the masks and not using plates are both necessary precautions that the University of Kentucky is taking to keep everyone safe, but it hurts me to see some of the environmental costs that it is having. I hope that soon we will be able to go back to some normality and work towards being a "green" campus.