Ohio State earned the No. 1 ranking in the annual RecycleMania competition for GameDay Basketball diversion rate. The Feb. 26 contest against Iowa at the Jerome Schottenstein Center delivered a 99.4% diversion rate. Waste was collected during the game, diverted from the landfill, and weighed, helping Ohio State move up five spots in the 2019 RecycleMania Game Day Basketball diversion competition. Zero Waste at the Jerome Schottenstein Center is a collaborative effort, and we thank all our partners!
Ohio State also finished in 5th place among 300 colleges and universities in the total recycling category of RecycleMania in 2019, with more than 1.4 million pounds of materials diverted from the landfill. In the food organics category, the university saw a dramatic improvement, up from 52nd place in 2018 to 20th place this year. Programs like the composting of coffee grounds and donations of uneaten food in dining facilities have helped improve organics rankings.
As part of the Recyclemania competition, Ohio State provided recycling information through marketing, outreach, and programs directed toward students, faculty, and staff. These programs included a concerted effort on peer-to-peer education campaigns, where students educated each other to help improve our contamination levels. The 2019 competition kicked-off on February 3 and ran for eight weeks, involving colleges and universities in the United States and in Canada.
Ohio State’s recycling efforts are part of the university’s continued work to advance sustainability across campus and throughout the community. This is led by its strategic sustainability goals developed by faculty, staff and students that were designed to enhance and expand policies, operations, and practices.