Opinions on this high school punishment?

I recently moved to a new high school 2 weeks ago and it is very strict. I found out that if students are late to school in the morning, 3 times a term, the punishment is to pick up rubbish around the whole school at lunch time. The student(s) must carry an Orange bucket given by the school deans and walk around the entire campus at lunch time to pick up rubbish. Any reasons why our school would have this type of punishment and what purpose does this serve? I personally find this to be harsh. Would love to chat further on this subject.