While Bobcats were beating Miami University’s Red Hawks on Oct. 26, Campus Recycling decided to tackle a different kind of problem — waste reduction.
During the tailgate in Bicentennial Park on West Green, OU participated in the Game Day
Recycling Challenge, a competition for colleges and universities to promote waste reduction, according to its website.
In last year’s challenge, Campus Recycling reported an 80.3 percent recovery rate for materials considered compostable and recyclable.
The university hoped to meet a similar rate of 80 percent this year but only recovered 77 percent, said Andrew Ladd, OU’s refuse and recycling manager.
“Students were very receptive,” Ladd said. “It was a smashing success.”
The university made recycling bins available at the event, and a few local vendors also pitched in to help Campus Recycling reach their goal.
Kiser’s Barbeque, Domino’s Pizza, and Chick-fil-A facilitated the process by using efficient packaging to reduce the amount of trash sent to landfills.
“(Recycling is) something we really do at the restaurant,” said Sean Kiser, owner of Kiser’s Barbeque. “Most of the things we do on and off campus, we always try to do zero waste.”
Kiser’s and Domino’s used recyclable and compostable material, while Chick-fil-A reduced waste by providing bulk condiments instead of individual packets.
After the event, Campus Recycling went through trashcans to recover misplaced recyclables and found that they were able to salvage about 73 percent as recyclables.
Ladd said this exemplified the need to educate students and to provide more inclusive containers that accept a wider range of materials.
After the success of the event, Ladd said he is looking forward to expanding waste reduction at Peden Stadium and The Convo during basketball season.
“When it comes to recycling, OU is a stand out school, and we should all take pride in that,” said Caitlyn McDaniel, a junior studying global studies: war and peace and president of the Sierra Student Coalition.
@Dinaivey
db794812@ohiou.edu
