The University of Iowa (UI) Recycling team has come up with a unique recycling project to reduce wastes at football games. If the supporters of the playing teams recycle their cans and other plastic wastes, they can help their team win the Gameday Challenge. This event is held among various colleges to try and reduce the waste production at football games that are hosted by them, and it's results will be announced on November 15, America Recycles Day.

More About University of Iowa Gameday Challenge

This challenge is the brainchild of the recycling team at UI. The teams comprise several units such as ARAMARK, ECO Hawk student organization, Waste Management, Facilities Management, UI Athletics, The Office of Sustainability, and The Delta Tau Delta Fraternity. This challenge is aiming at reducing at least 60% of waste collected at all the football games of the season.

The competition is based on the belief that the fans would recycle everything they consume during the game so as to make their team win.

Once a football game is over, there is a lot of waste generated, such as plastic cups, bottles, souvenirs, and popcorn buckets. The fans only need to dispose these materials in Waste Management's recycling containers. These containers are green and gold in color and are spread out in the entire stadium. But while disposing these materials, the fans need to ensure that they don't dispose food or plastic bags along with them.

University of Iowa Supports Eco-Friendly Promotional Items

After the game is over, the environmental studies students of UI will split up into groups and audit the waste that has been collected during the game. This audit will help in formulating data on what waste products the fans choose to recycle during the game. These students will hand over this information to the Kinnick's managers who will be able to better their recycling system through it.

This recycling team will also teach school children, from high schools located in the vicinity, the method of waste segregation on Sundays. They will take the children to the stadium and teach them how to sort out recyclable wastes from the rest of the garbage. Once the students have sorted out the wastes, Waste Management will deliver it to the nearest recycling facility. This exercise will teach the children the importance of recycling as well as eco friendly promotional items.

This initiative has been taken up as part of UI's 2020 Mission which aims at reducing the waste disposal into landfills.

Source: http://iowacity.patch.com/articles/fans-reminded-to-recycle-at-kinnick-for-gameday-challenge-nov-10