At Greeley, students often look for small things to brighten their day. One unusual object in particular has captured the attention of many students: a garbage pail designed to look like an octopus. Located in the Greeley courtyard outside the cafeteria, the garbage pail features eight metal tentacles reaching out from underneath, with yellow, black, and white eyes on the sides.
The garbage pail has prompted curiosity and conversation among students and teachers alike. Is it intentional that it looks like an octopus? Why is it here?
Greeley Head Custodian, Mrs. Martinez, said she has noticed the attention this garbage pail has received. “I think it’s a really creative and positive addition to the courtyard. The octopus design immediately grabs student and staff’s attention. It makes something as simple as a garbage bin feel fun,” she said.
According to Mrs. Martinez, the idea for the octopus design came from Greeley’s administrators. Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Ackerman, Assistant Superintendent for Business, Mr. Culwell-Block, and Greeley Principal, Dr. Sepe, chose this garbage pail for Greeley.
Mrs. Martinez said she thinks this garbage pail is positive for students. “I hear people trying to guess what it is. I’ve heard things like, ‘is it a pineapple? A spider?’ The attention it’s getting shows that it’s being noticed and talked about, which is what you want when trying to promote cleaner habits and environment,” she said.
Students have also discussed this garbage pail with enthusiasm. “When I was out running, I saw the garbage pail outside near the entrance to the cafeteria. I thought it was interesting; it was cool to look at,” said freshman Johnny H., and freshman Mario V. agreed. “It was very funny and a little confusing to see it for the first time—I made sure to take a photo and send it to my friends,” he said.
When Mario saw the garbage pail, he said he knew right away it was an octopus. Mario connected his sighting of the garbage pail to a satirical article about The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus, an internet hoax students had learned about in middle school when studying internet literacy. Mario said this garbage pail was like a real sighting of the tree octopus. “My friends all quickly found it funny, since we had just been reading the article on the fictional octopus,” he said.
Beyond humor, the octopus garbage pail has strengthened students’ connections with their friends. “Every time I see it in the courtyard it brings me a little smile and moves me to share the sentiment,” said Mario. After seeing the garbage pail, he and other students even started to put their own garbage in it. It became a destination, and the garbage had an interesting place where it belonged.
The fun garbage pail also helps the environment by encouraging students to throw away their waste in the proper place. Mrs. Martinez said, “When something is visually fun, students are more likely to use it rather than ignore it. This design turns throwing away trash into something intentional. It also helps build awareness.”
Ultimately, this garbage pail is an interesting object that brings joy to students and helps encourage good environmental habits. Next time you’re in the Greeley courtyard, look for this unique octopus garbage pail.
