Editorial by Kernel Staff. E-mail [email protected].

Tailgating before a sporting event brings good times, memories, entertainment and trash — lots of trash.

But convenience to hometown fans is harmful to the environment and time consuming to post-game clean-up crews.

After football games, the parking lot is consistently littered with remnants of the party scene of hours prior. The thousands of cans, wrappers and paper plates scatter like leaves.

The blame is on everyone.

The obvious group to frame is the tailgating community. Individuals who do not clean up are responsible for the accumulation of trash, and therefore, the degradation of areas surrounding the stadium.

The meager effort required to bag excess waste is indisputable. Littering is driven by laziness.

Inherently, the university needs to do a better job providing additional receptacles in heavily populated areas, so tailgaters will no longer have an excuse to continue their rotten habit.

With more containers to dispose of garbage and recyclable materials, tailgaters are more likely to use them. Tailgaters will have more accountability if such depositories exist.

The Sept. 20 Kernel featured “Wildcats Take Out the Trash,” a group battling trash and recycling the residue of the tailgating heyday.

Groups like this should be commended. Their motivation to collect empty, fly-infested beer cans and other filth from strangers shows concern for campus. In fact, this group is one of the only UK efforts to keep a clean campus.

Until one party steps up, crews working feverishly to clean the waste will continue to be in place, working tirelessly until 2 a.m. following each event.