My name is Connell Erb. I am a fourth year student at UVA. Throughout my four years here I have seen countless cans, bottles, and cups strewn about the areas surrounding our beautiful school every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday morning. Like most UVA students, I had not given much thought to how this weekend trash was being disposed of. It did not take much research to discover that little to none of it is recycled. I want to change that.


Last weekend (October 12-14), I went around with a professional crew and picked up, sorted, and hauled the recyclable trash to the appropriate locations. We collected nearly 200 pounds of cans, and 30 bags of paper, glass, and plastic recyclables. I personally helped with the collection, sorting, and hauling process and paid the crew out of pocket. I am asking for donations to continue this initiative in the coming weekends.


You might be wondering why does this responsibility come down to me and why am I asking you for your money? The simple answer is that nobody else has stepped up to the plate, and I do not want to see another weekend go by without the trash being recycled. Having just spent a full weekend doing this work, I understand that the amount of effort that it takes to sort and recycle is significant, which is why nobody is doing the job for free. That is why I believe that paying a crew of professionals is the best way to get this job done.


My ultimate goal is to make this a sustainable, long-term system. I plan to form a yet-to-be-named non-profit organization that can be passed down to younger students and continued for years to come.


I am asking anyone who cares about our community to contribute in any way they can.

Donations of any size will be so appreciated.

Thank you all so much!