Ohio University competes for the national championship in the GameDay Recycling Challenge

At the Oct. 22 OHIO home football game, Campus Recycling and its partners encourage Bobcat fans to show their true green pride by participating in the GameDay Challenge, making an effort to properly dispose of all waste created, and encouraging others to do the same.

Each fall, colleges and universities across the U.S. and Canada compete in the GameDay Recycling Challenge, a recycling and waste reduction competition to minimize waste generated during a single sporting event.

Ohio University is a four-time national champion, earning the diversion rate champion title for football in 2016 and 2022, and basketball in 2017 and 2018. Over multiple years, Ohio University accomplished rescuing approximately 95 percent of all material from the landfill by placing zero waste stations that include recycling and compost options in and around Peden Stadium. OHIO is proud to continue its nationally recognized efforts and hopes win the title again this year at the Oct. 22 home football game.

Over 50 participating schools monitor and collect data on all waste produced from the sporting events, including both within the stadium, and outside at various tailgating, team meals and promotional activities. Schools keep track of waste disposal in all three categories—recycling, compost and landfill—then report these numbers to competition officials. 

Conference champions are given one of five titles—champion of recycling, waste minimization, greenhouse gas reduction, organics reduction and conference diversion rate. There is friendly yet intense competition in the MAC for each of these titles. 

“In recent years, along with OHIO, Akron, Kent, Northern Illinois and Toledo have all made their way to the top spot in various categories,” said OHIO Recycling and Zero Waste Manager Andrew Ladd.  “Ultimately though, we build upon one another’s successes to educate and engage with fans about the importance of our individual choices and about how together we can affect significant positive change for our world and our climate.”

National champions are recognized in two categories: overall diversion percentage rate, which Ohio University last won in 2020, and total pounds of all recyclables and organics collected, most recently won by Clemson for the 2021 season.  

“The best part of the GameDay Challenge is that we are able to consistently show larger schools how it is done by beating them in these events. And, of course, we love it anytime we get a win over Miami,” said Steve Mack, director of Facilities Management and Safety.

Extensive efforts are made prior to and during the game to ensure recycling and sustainability excellence. In the days leading up to the event, recycling and zero waste staff members set-up the stadium with bins, bags, and sorting stations. On gameday, climate and sustainability ambassadors and staff members are stationed in and around the event to inform fans on what can and cannot be recycled or composted.

Campus Recycling’s partners in The GameDay Recycling Challenge include the Office of Sustainability, Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service, Facilities Management, The Marching 110, OHIO Athletics and local boy-scout troop and cub-scout pack #71. This partnership enables an increase in participation and education in regards to waste diversion, providing Ohio University with an advantage in the competition.

Campus Recycling(opens in a new window) will be partnering with The Marching 110 to capture recycling and compost from their pre-game meals as well as distributing blue recycling bags and a green compost bin to all tailgaters who opt-in, encouraging every individual effort possible to divert waste.  Additionally, Ohio University will be able to compost a wider array of plates and packaging this year by partnering with Athens Hocking Recycling Center, who recently purchased a compost shredder. Campus Recycling will also be running the Zero Waste tent in Tailgreat Park where they will be staffing a portable conveyor belt to sort and capture everything possible for recycling and compost.