Mary Crotty Sharma: A disgusting display of waste 

I read the June 1 article with the headline “Earth is ‘really Sick Now.’” It is such a troubling thought … though far from news. It brought to my mind something I feel quite concerned about as part of this university community. The annual spring couch season is upon us. Used furniture sprouts on many curbsides. And in my obsession to try and recycle/reuse discarded items, I cruise through apartment complex dumpster sites to see what the departing students have left behind.

At the Townhouse Apartments in North Amherst it was an overwhelming and appalling display of waste. Despite two large dumpsters supplied by Amherst Trucking, the refuse spilled over half of the parking lot into the roadway. There were countless items of furniture; couches, chairs, tables, mattresses, etc. There was so much trash, much of which was recyclable, had residents taken the time/made the effort to find a recycling bin.

There were boxes, bins, trash bags, rotting food, TVs, rugs … on and on. It was a disgusting and disheartening sight. Such a display of waste and carelessness was so very saddening to me. At a time when we hear that the world is really sick, our young, educated and privileged community members show such disregard for the environment by adding tons of this kind of waste each year, just in our one little college town.

I encourage fellow Amherst residents to become aware of this problem and hope that we can try and find solutions to this annual dumping of tons of waste that could be minimized by recycling, reusing or donating. I, for one, am going to begin by making a few phone calls.

Mary Crotty Sharma

Amherst

]]>