Illini Football Recycling Tailgate Returns vs. Purdue!

Illini Football is back, and this season will feature two F&S Recycling Tailgates in Grange Grove and nearby parking lots outside Gies Memorial Stadium. The first tailgate event will take place before the Homecoming game on Saturday, October 3, when the Illini host Purdue. The second will be held Saturday, October 24, when Illini Football takes on Oregon. 

During the tailgate, volunteers will help collect and recycle plastic bottles and aluminum cans as part of the F&S Don’t Waste initiative. Past events have diverted a total of thousands of pounds of recyclable materials from local landfills and expanded permanent game day recycling infrastructure.  

The Sustainability Gator is Back

Student Affairs’ “Sustainability Gator” will once again serve as a mobile zero waste station and be used in the parking lots to collect recyclables. No more trekking across the lot in search of a recycling bin! 

The Gator will be making rounds throughout the event, with volunteers on hand to help sort recyclables. Save your empty bottles and cans and toss them into the recycling trailer when it stops by.

What to Do with Recyclables at the Tailgate

Aluminum cans and plastic water bottles may be:

• Picked up by the Sustainability Gator 
• Set in the orange and blue recycling boxes located within Grange Grove and Lot 31
• Placed into the green dumpster in Lot 31, along First Street

Additionally, fans in RVs or vehicles entering Lots 31 and 32 will be given blue bags to support these collection activities.

More Volunteers Mean More Items Recycled

Green Aid, hosted by the Student Affairs Sustainability team, is looking for volunteers to join the event crew! Students can sign up for a volunteer shift on One Illinois. All other interested volunteers may sign up here. Volunteers should report to the F&S Tent next to the green dumpster on First Street.  

Recycling events on campus are key components of the Don’t Waste initiative. Coca-Cola; the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics; the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE); and F&S partner to reduce waste at major campus events and reach sustainability targets.