The 2013 Challenge was run by a partnership of the College and University Recycling Coalition (CURC), RecycleMania and Keep America Beautiful (KAB) and is supported by EPA’s WasteWise program.
HSU was first place for NCAA Division II & III schools and 6th place overall competing in the “Diversion Rate” category, besting campuses like Clemson, Indiana and Rutgers University in keeping compostable and recyclable material out of the trash. HSU was also the Division II & III champion (and 12th place overall) in the “Organics” category, beating out universities like Duke, Eastern Washington and Brown University to collect the most compost per person at a football game.
“This accomplishment is the direct result of a commitment to sustainability shared by students, the University and the greater community,” said HSU Sustainability and Waste Coordinator Morgan King. “We could not have done it without the efforts of our student volunteers and the cooperation and enthusiasm of the Athletics Department, vendors and game fans.”
HSU participated in the Game Day Challenge during the September 28th Homecoming football game against Dixie State. Prior to the game HSU’s recycling operations placed additional recycling and compost collection bins around the stadium and tailgate area. Student volunteers with the Waste Reduction & Resource Awareness Program (WRRAP) were stationed at the collection bins to help fans recycle and compost. Announcements were made prior to and throughout the game to encourage participation, and HSU Take Back the Tap provided free filtered water to fans with refillable water bottles.
Following the game, Campus Recycling collected and weighed all trash, recycling and compost to find that the effort had led to the diversion of 85% of waste from the landfill. “The Game Day Challenge had multiple benefits,” said Morgan King. “It raised awareness and active engagement in recycling and waste reduction, it saved the University money in solid waste tipping fees, and it prevented the release of greenhouse gases associated with the hauling and land-filling of trash.”
According CURC, 88 participating schools and 6.4 million fans diverted nearly 1.46 million pounds of waste from football games, which prevented more than 1,980 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent from being released.
This is the third year that HSU has participated in the competition. For more information on the 2013 Game Day Challenge go to gamedaychallenge.org.