One step outside and I can already see the streets filled to the brim with “nip” bottles, cigarette butts, and plastic bags. Now that spring is here, people are starting to expect fields of grass and flowers, but the piles of trash just ruin the whole experience.

Seeing the impact that litter has on our city, Mayor Domenic Sarno has announced a clean city initiative aimed to motivate Springfield residents to clean up litter on the streets, but that doesn’t seem to have done much; as more time passes, litter continues to tarnish our view of this city.

Springfield Residents are mostly to blame for all the litter on the streets. They go on with their lives, completely overlooking the trash piling up on the streets. But it’s also not entirely their fault; although they are accountable for the city they live in, not every adult has the time or energy to clean up around their neighborhood. We need to look for a solution that doesn’t concern busy adults.

In May of 2021, Keep America Beautiful posted a study on the amount of litter in America. The study estimated nearly 50 million pieces of litter along U.S. roadways and waterways at the time of the study. This number has only grown since. People are now littering gloves and masks all over the streets.

“There is lots of trash everywhere in Springfield,” said junior Sandy Viruet. It’s unfortunate because most kids are being brought up in this polluted area, and there should really be a change to bring life to our community. Even just picking up trash can make a big difference, and it can show how important Springfield is to us.

If SHA students were to clean around their neighborhoods for community service hours, then I know that there could be real change in Springfield. I understand the reluctance to clean, but since mandated community service hours are on the table, it would be like hitting two birds with one stone. You would be doing your community a favor as well as getting a little closer to meeting your graduation requirements.

But of course, like any other plan, there are some drawbacks; with a school as small as SHA, it is unlikely that we could make that much of a difference, but getting other schools involved will. By using the power of numbers to our advantage, we could clean more parts of Springfield and, together, improve the city of Springfield as a whole.

I know that even if I take up this offer, I’m simply tired of seeing how far Springfield has fallen. I can barely even go outside without plastic bags catching my eye. But as bad as it is right now, I know that we, the students, can make a change in this city.