Student volunteers—with a lot of help from Orange and Blue fans—collected a new State Farm Center (SFC) gameday record of 1,280 pounds of recyclables on March 2 at the Illini men’s basketball game. That is the equivalent of diverting 28 percent of the total waste from the landfill. Here are the final statistics after Illinois beat Michigan 91–87 in 2OT.

RECORD NUMBERS

• Arena
  
  • 220 pounds (lb.) Aluminum
  • 300 lb. Plastic
• Recycling Bins on the Concourse
  
  • 120 lb. Aluminum
  • 200 lb. Plastic
• Pulled from the Waste Stream (compactor in the facility)
  
  • 440 lb. of Mixed Materials (Paper, Cardboard, Aluminum, Plastic) 

The Fighting Illini, Fighting Waste initiative is a partnership between Coca-Cola; the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics; the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment; and Facilities & Services. The data collected and information gathered from these efforts will be utilized to add permanent recycling infrastructure at university facilities in the future and establish sustainability best practices at large campus events. Watch for social media updates and campus recycling reminders on #DontWasteWednesdays. The next Fighting Illini, Fighting Waste event will occur in the fall during Illini football tailgating.

Establishing a university-wide zero waste culture is a top sustainability objective of the Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP). For more information about general campus waste management (how that works/what is recycled) and iCAP progress, contact Zero Waste Coordinator Daphne Hulse dlhulse2@illinois.edu, 217-333-7550.