May 8, 2019

From cricket bats to urine samples, Campus Cleanup volunteers unearth wacky items and record-breaking waste

Campus Cleanup and Barbecue breaks registration records on 10th anniversary
More than 16 teams registered to participate in this year's Campus Cleanup and Barbecue, including the Schulich School of Engineering, who found one of the wackiest items of the day — a hubcap. Photos by Riley Brandt, University of Calgary
More than 16 teams registered to participate in this year's Campus Cleanup and Barbecue, including t

With beautiful weather and sunny skies marking the day, individuals and teams from across campus — from Psychology to the Schulich School of Engineering — lined up in the Taylor Family Digital Library Quad on April 26 to volunteer their time to keep their campus green and clean.

To mark the 10th anniversary of the Campus Cleanup and Barbecue, 270 individuals participated in this campus tradition, doubling the previous record of 135 participants in 2018. Split between 43 students and 227 faculty and staff, the cleanup volunteers swept all quadrants of campus armed with trash, recycling and refundables bags to find the most, and the weirdest, waste they could.

The Facilities volunteer team cooked up a delicious barbecue meal for all participants in the Campus Cleanup.

The Facilities volunteer team cooked up a delicious barbecue meal for all participants.

Some of the wackiest items brought back to the weigh scale included a full-size stroller, a cricket bat, a dead squirrel, horseshoes and hair extensions. The contest for wackiest item, however, was won by an individual who found a full urine sample in a bush around MacEwan Student Centre.

The Campus Cleanup happened soon after Earth Day on April 22, where the focus for 2019 was protecting wildlife. More than 25 Facilities volunteers organized, set up and hosted the event — and even jumped behind the grill to feed the participants a delicious barbecue lunch.

2019 Campus Cleanup and Barbecue at the University of Calgary