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UF News University of Florida

Gators to compete for recycling title at Homecoming game

October 13, 2010

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida will participate in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2010 Game Day Challenge this weekend.

Eighty-two colleges across the country will compete to see who can reduce, reuse, and recycle the most waste at home football games throughout October. Winners will be publicized on EPA’s website in November.

The challenge is for schools to design a waste reduction plan for one home football game in October and measure the results. Schools can collect common materials for recycling including paper, beverage containers, cardboard, and food to be donated and composted. The amount of waste generated and recycled will determine the winners in several categories:

  • least amount of waste generated per attendee
  • greatest greenhouse gas reductions
  • highest recycling rate
  • highest organics reduction rate (i.e., food donation and composting)
  • highest combined recycling and composting rate.

Fans can participate through recycling at their tailgates and throughout Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday when the Gators play Mississippi State. Tailgator Green Team volunteers will distribute recycling bags to various high traffic tailgating zones across campus, and clarify what can and cannot be recycled, with the hope that fans incorporate this information into their recycling practices on game days and beyond. Volunteers will also hand sort recyclables from trash and into recycling bins around campus and in the stadium.

Founded in 2006, the TailGator Green Team game day recycling program has become an integral part of tailgating culture on campus. The group’s purpose is to encourage fans to recycle when tailgating before home football games, helping the university work toward its goal of zero waste while also educating and empowering fans on the importance of sustainability.

Since 2006, the Green Team has collected 62.34 tons of recycled items, making a significant impact on the game day waste stream. Some volunteers come because of their passion for recycling, but the program’s structure also helps to provide volunteering incentives for student organizations.

The University Athletic Association has been proactive in waste reduction measures, greatly expanding recycling opportunities in 2009-2010. Most concession items in the stadium are recyclable or compostable and the stadium is working towards the university-wide goal of being Zero Waste by 2015.

To learn more about UF’s Zero Waste Goal and Recycling Initiatives:
http://www.sustainability.ufl.edu/initiatives/waste_management.html

To learn more about the EPA Game Day Challenge:
http://www.epa.gov/wastes/partnerships/wastewise/challenge/gameday