School trash epidemic - My recommended solution.

On my recent tours of the three local high schools this weekend, I suspect we have an endemic tragedy on our hands.That is the complete disregard by a few people to understand the seriousness and long-term impacts of litter. And the apathy of the rest of the population to do nothing about it!

What I noticed as well, is when there is already litter on the ground, people are less inclined to worry about adding more and littering... Where there is little or no litter, there tends to remain little or no litter.  People follow by example.

This morning I got up and thought...

"What would I do if I were a teacher / principal of these schools?"  It is always easy to complain, but what would my SOLUTION be?  Very good and important question!

Now, I'm not a teacher or principle or an expert yet.  But I have kids and I have manged large projects and large groups of staff.  I am very open to suggestions and ideas but  my current recommended solutions looks something like this:

1. SET, STATE and MEAN a ZERO TOLERANCE policy for litter within the school grounds and area. EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY. It is important to state that everyone is responsible for the new policy. Everyone needs to do their part. Teachers, staff, students. It's a SCHOOL problem.
2. Ask for volunteers from the students for a litter committee!  Get students from ALL grades to be involved. Reward them with donuts or free certificates at the cafeteria.  It does NOT have to be a lot! 
3. Set out and post many different notices around the school and especially the offending areas about the new policy.  
4. Set out EXTRA garbage bins and containers around the school.
5. Remind people constantly of the new policy.
6. For the first week after the new policy:
1. Set a ZERO FAULT on the entire school for litter.
2. Devote 1 block where EVERYONE goes out and collects trash from the school grounds. Teachers, students, staff.  It is important that everyone is involved.  Again, it's a SCHOOL problem. 
3. Be sure to set zones so nothing is missed, and be sure to rotate zone groups so areas can be double and triple and quadruple checked. You would be amazed what a little competition can unearth!
4. If anything looks dangerous or unsafe, be sure to get an adult involved. Even MORE reason to GET IT OFF SCHOOL GROUNDS!!
5. DOCUMENT how much you really found.   And find EVERYTHING.  Every cigarette butt, Every piece of plastic and wrap. Every cup, every straw, every little man-made piece that is not part of the natural environment. You will find THOUSANDS of pieces of trash!! You'll be amazed.
6. You want to encourage RECYCLING, but for this exercise, if you don't have time to separate it, then consider it all TRASH. 
7. Let OTHER schools in the area and district know what you've done and about your results.
7. NOW your school is clean!  You want to keep it that way!
8. REMOVE the zero fault from the policy. find some warnings and meaningful penalties for anyone who now blatantly litters.
9. Have your student volunteers monitor and report back on a weekly basis for the first few months.
10. Encouragement should be made where everyone helps and picks up trash if seen. Celebrate your success and your clean school!
11. After several months, you should be able to remove some of the extra bins and signs.
12. ENCOURAGE people to take that ZERO TOLERANCE policy and attitude home with them to THEIR neighbourhoods. 
13. You would be AMAZED; if everyone picks up ONE piece of trash a day, and no one littered, the world would be AWESOME, cleaner place!