2018 GameDay Recycling Challenge Diversion Rate Winners

To help reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill during college sporting events, the College and University Recycling Coalition, RecycleMania Inc., National Wildlife Federation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency host the annual GameDay Recycling Challenge, a nationwide competition that challenges colleges and universities to increase their recycling and composting efforts during home football games.

During each competition cycle, challenge participants measure and report the amount of recyclables, organic food waste and trash generated at one or more regular season home football games. In 2018, 65 participating schools recycled, composted or donated 2.5 million pounds of gameday waste.

The University of Rochester was the national champion in the Diversion category (recycling, plus organics composting and recovery as a percent of total trash) with a 91.71 percent diversion rate.

“We are very proud to receive this honor and thank the organizers for challenging us all to make big improvements in waste reduction,” said Amy Kadrie, University of Rochester sustainability coordinator, in a statement. “Through the lessons we have learned over time, and the support of all who are involved, we have managed to maintain a true zero waste status for the past four years straight, yielding in big results on our small-scale operation.”

To view the 2018 GameDay Recycling Challenge Diversion rate winners, flip through this gallery.