University reduces frequency of residential trash pickup

Starting at the beginning of the fall semester, trash pickup in certain residential halls has changed from Monday through Friday to just Monday and Thursday. Now, trash should be placed outside on those two days before 8 a.m. for disposal.

This change affects select halls in Forbes, Mathey, Rockefeller, and upperclassmen housing which were previously served by Monday through Friday pickup. In other halls, students independently empty their trash at a trash chute or trash station on their floor.

University Spokesperson Jennifer Morrill wrote in an email to The Daily Princetonian that the adjustment comes after a year of discussions and was finalized “over the summer prior to first-year move in.”

According to Morrill, this change came about “[b]ased on responses to a student survey,” and that “Building Services looked for ways to increase overall cleaning services to the dorms, especially in showers and restrooms.” The goal of the new policy is to allow custodial staff to “dedicate more time to servicing other areas.”

Benjamin Lemkin ’26, who is living in Henry Hall this year after previously residing in Whitman Hall, told the ‘Prince’ that he doesn’t think the change will affect him much. “Generally, since I need to take my trash out less than once a week, probably, if they’re doing it Monday [and] Thursday, it works for me.”

Jaylee Witcher ’27, who lived in Holder last year and is now in Witherspoon, told the ‘Prince’ that everyday pick-up ”was really nice” because she was in a quad, which houses four students, and “always had friends over.”

“We had a lot of trash, so even though we had four trash cans, they would fill up quickly,” Witcher said.

When asked about the possibility of cleaning being focused on other areas, Lemkin said “that would be nice because I don’t need trash picked up every day … and it’s always nice to have everything a little cleaner.”

Witcher, on the other hand, is more skeptical, claiming that a bathroom in Witherspoon Hall did not have soap for a week. “If [the increased cleaning] happens, I think it’d be a benefit to everybody, but I think at least for the time being, that’s not happening, so it’s just a net negative, temporarily.”

While the new trash pickup schedule is designed to improve cleanliness in other areas, it remains to be seen whether students see tangible improvements in their dormitories following the change.

Christopher Bao is an assistant News editor and the accessibility director for the ‘Prince.’ He is from Princeton, N.J. and typically covers town politics and life.

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