The Zero Waste Team had their first meeting on October 14, 2024. Daphne Hulse provided updates on the 2025 proposed changes as well as a summer recap of accomplishments. Here are the meeting minutes.

The Zero Waste iCAP team met on 5/3/2024 to finalize end-of-year tasks. Group members reviewed their recommendations for the 2025 iCAP, and outlined priorities for AY 2024-25. 

The Zero Waste iCAP Team Met on 2/19/2024 to discuss initiatives regarding environmentally preferred procurement, updates on the university's participation with Coca-Cola buyback, and recyclopedia feedback. The Engagement iCAP team chair, Codie Sterner, joined to discuss the sustainability literacy survey. The Zero Waste Team will come up with questions to add to the survey. 

First-Ever Illini Football Tailgate Recycling Event

Sep 19, 2023 | 10:12 am

New orange and blue recycling boxes and a green dumpster will be available for fans near Memorial Stadium

Illinois Football takes on Florida Atlantic University (FAU) on Saturday, September 23, at Memorial Stadium. Before the non-conference game, several orange and blue recycling boxes and a bright green dumpster will be available to help Fighting Illini fans recycle bottles and cans, which will prevent more items from reaching the landfill.

Individuals in RVs or vehicles entering Lot 31 and Lot 32 will be given blue bags to use to drop off empty bottles and cans at the utility-sized recycling dumpster on the east side of Lot 31, along South First Street. Plastic bottles and aluminum cans and bottles may also be placed by fans into boxes within Grange Grove and around the Illinois Tent in Lot 31. Items may also be thrown in the dumpster.

This first-of-its-kind Tailgate Recycling event on the Urbana campus is a part of the Don’t Waste initiative. Coca-Cola; the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics; the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment; and Facilities & Services are partnering to reduce waste at major campus events and support reaching zero waste goals. Approximately 10 volunteers will wear “Be Orange, Go Green” shirts and will be ready to assist the recycling efforts.

Zero Waste Coordinator Daphne Hulse said, “Illini fans support their team and university like no other. The new Block I–wrapped recycling bins and marked dumpsters for the FAU game will allow tailgaters in these areas to easily recycle bottles and cans and add to the number of pounds of materials diverted from the landfill on our recycling scoreboard.

The new recycling boxes will stay in place for all remaining Illini home games. The next recycling event with volunteers will be Saturday, November 11, when Indiana University visits Champaign.

This year, Don’t Waste has achieved the following milestones:

• With student volunteers’ help during the basketball season, Illini fans collected a State Farm Center basketball gameday record of 1,280 pounds of recyclables in March.
• Two hydration stations were installed at Memorial Stadium this summer to encourage the use of reusable water bottles during Illini games.
• An additional 140 pounds of plastic was diverted from the New Student Convocation event in August.

Establishing a zero waste culture at the U of I is a top sustainability objective of the Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP). The iCAP is the university’s strategic plan to meet the Climate Leadership Commitments, including becoming carbon neutral as soon as possible and building resilience to climate change in the local community. The data collected from these engagement efforts will guide future recycling infrastructure improvements in university facilities and be used to establish best practices for implementing sustainable habits at campuswide gatherings and unit-level events.

For more information about general campus waste management (how that works/what is recycled) and iCAP progress, contact Daphne Hulse dlhulse2@illinois.edu, 217-333-7550. And keep watching for social media updates and campus recycling reminders on #DontWasteWednesday.

On 6/24/2023, the ZW009 Project4Less Expansion recommendation was transmitted to Alma Sealine and Jason Ensign at University Housing with the following email. The iWG assessment is attached.

Hi Alma and Jason,

Thank you for meeting with iCAP representatives about the Project4Less recommendation from the Zero Waste iCAP Team (ZW009).  After our discussion, the iCAP Working Group discussed the topic again, and we have the following recommendation (highlighting added): 

The iWG recommends that Housing keep and strengthen their relationship with Project4Less, even though there is a funding shortfall for Housing at large.  This project should remain a priority, and in fact they can talk with the student leaders about how best to use the remaining Student Sustainability Committee (SSC) funding of $1,700. There is also a possibility of future SSC funding for future expansion of the program, as needed in conjunction with the continued efforts to reduce food waste.

We also recommend that Housing promote the various sustainability programs they are doing.  This should be done through links to the iCAP Portal and in the Housing newsletter.

It would be great if you would identify a contact person we can work with to help promote all the great things that University Housing is doing for campus sustainability. The Formal iCAP Procedures includes a section on campus unit responsibilities upon receipt of a recommendation, and we respectfully request a reply to this recommendation by July 14, if possible. 

Sincerely,

Morgan and Jen

=====================================

MORGAN B. WHITE and

Dr. JENNIFER FRATERRIGO
Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP)

iCAP Working Group co-chairs

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
sustainability@illinois.edu  
https://icap.sustainability.illinois.edu/

See the ZW009 Project4Less Expansion recommendation here.

On May 5, 2023, Zero Waste iCAP Team submitted the ZW011 State Farm Center Recycling recommendation. Please see attached.

Without appropriate recycling infrastructure on the upper concourse of State Farm Center, campus is losing valuable recyclable materials sent to the landfill (particularly with recyclable items left in the arena). Additionally, the installation of permanent recycling bins on the upper concourse would facilitate the ability for fans to recycle at any athletic or entertainment event held at State Farm Center.

The purpose of this recommendation is to be a conversation-starter in regard to permanent recycling on the upper concourse. The proposed use of MAX-R bins is a suggestion, based on campus’ success with the roll-out of these bins throughout our facilities.

Suggested unit/department to address implementation: Division of Intercollegiate Athletics

Following is the response from DIA:

Jennifer,

The Division of Intercollegiate Athletics (DIA) approves the recommendation to work with Facilities and Services and the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and the Environment to implement a recycling program at football tailgate events. Assistant Athletic Director Tim Knox will be responsible for coordinating the implementation for DIA.

Josh

See the iWG assessment for ZW010 Tailgate Recycling here.