I don’t know about you, but when I think of “Game Day,” I immediately picture long lines of people snaking through a stadium, waiting for their hot dogs and popcorn and fizzy drinks. As one could imagine, all of those snacks can create a lot of trash. Quite often this trash ends up in the stands, or in and around the garbage cans. Caught up in the excitement of a game day, fans will often forget to do one very important thing; recycle.
On game days in particular, large amounts of trash are being produced in short amounts of time, therefore disposing of everything properly is key. Rochester is once again participating in the “Game Day Recycling Challenge,” an event sponsored by groups such as the EPA’s WasteWise, College and University Recycling Coalition (CURC), RecycleMania, and Keep America Beautiful (KAB). The university is among dozens of others participating in the challenge, competing for the top spot in categories such as:
- Recycling
- Waste Minimization
- Greenhouse Gas Reduction
- Organics Reduction
- Diversion Rate
Last year, we saw a total of 510 pounds of recyclable and organic matter diverted (450 pounds of compost and 60 pounds of recycling), with a total diversion rate of 85%. We were also able to reduce greenhouse gases by 0.168 metric tons of CO2 equivalent. This year, it is our job to do even better and aim for higher diversion rates.
While we may be competing against schools all across the nation, we are first and foremost competing against ourselves.
Meliora!
Written by Teddi Shapiro, class of 2019