On Nov. 2, Sustain Mizzou, an environmental club at the University of Missouri hosted a campus cleanup. The event kicked off Zero Waste Week, a thematic series of programming taking place between Nov. 2-9 that focused on waste reduction.

“Zero Waste Week is Mizzou’s way of bringing attention to the waste that we produce, whether that be through food waste or plastic waste,” Makayla Mayhew, Sustain Mizzou student director, said. “It’s our way of honing in on that for one week and doing as much as we can to bring awareness to it, but also get people to take action.”

Campus cleanups is one way Sustain Mizzou initiates action. Mayhew said 30 students and club members picked up trash and recyclables like cans, glass and plastics on campus and filled about 35 bags. 

“Students will go out with gloves and the bags and pick up those things [and] work together to make sure that all of campus stays clean,” Mayhew said. 

During the event, Sustain Mizzou’s Stream Clean team focused on cleaning the bank of Flat Branch Creek. The team filled 14 trash bags with trash, preventing it from getting into the waterways.

“We focus a lot on the Flat Branch River that’s right along the MKT Trail,” Kelby Virtue, Stream Clean manager, said. “We hit a lot of different access points along the MKT Trail to focus on the banks of the stream.”

The cleanup crew said their goals are to keep campus clean for all students and to care for Columbia’s ecosystems by removing possible disturbances. Virtue said Sustain Mizzou works to give back to the community and preserve the areas around campus by focusing on environmental care and preventing animals from consuming plastic.

In addition to the campus cleanup, Sustain Mizzou hosted a Zero Waste Showcase, a clothing swap, a screening of “The Story of Plastic” and a trip to the Columbia Solid Waste Utility. 

Virtue said Sustain Mizzou’s efforts have a more prominent impact than they may seem.

“It may not look like a huge impact between each little clean, but towards the end of the semester you’ll see how many bags we picked up,” Virtue said. “Last year, we had 200 bags of trash, which totaled to over 3,000 pounds.”

More information about Zero Waste Week and Sustain Mizzou can be found on the club’s Instagram, Facebook, X and website. The club’s events are also updated on MU Engage.

Edited by Julianna Mejia | [email protected] 

Copyedited by Hannah Taylor | [email protected] 

Edited by Annie Goodykoontz | [email protected]