York maintenance urge students to use garbage bins on campus
Wayne Hudson
Sports & Health Editor
@WayneaHudson
The steady stream of ants in McLaughlin College has been wiped out for the time being, but according to York’s custodians, students bearing food can often be the biggest culprits.
After grounds maintenance put in a pesticide request, the ant infestation situation was dealt with by the evening of February 10 using an Integrated Pest Management system, which is oriented around using the greenest method available. However, according to head of custodial services, Joseph Sanguedolce, the most frustrating thing is that students leave their garbage behind in rooms.
“The thing that is frustrating is that, even with the three-bin system, students tend to put their garbage on the floor,” he says.
“The bin keeps the mess contained, which makes it less likely for some things—like ants—to become prevalent.”
And while Sanguedolce advises that the custodial staff get on top of these messes as quick as they can, the garbage strewn everywhere makes the job even more time-consuming.
“Students use these open places for study across the campus, in offices, and we find ants and insects here because they’ll spill crumbs and beverages.”
Grounds manager Tim Haagsma notes that classroom maintenance should be a group effort ranging from students to custodial staff.
“Everybody has their role to play in my mind,” he says. “You, the student, have a role to play. Our manager of custodial has their role to play.”
Haagsma points out that, although not all students may throw trash in student space, there is a student element that disregards basic respect for shared space.
“Ultimately to me, a situation like this is disrespecting the space,” he says.
