Events and TrainingIllini Football Tailgate Recycling
Oct 03, 2024 | 7:56 am
Two Volunteer Events This Season at the Purdue and Michigan St. Games.
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For a third straight Illini football season, campus zero waste efforts will feature two tailgate recycling events on the west side of Memorial Stadium.
Volunteers will be back in Grange Grove and adjacent parking lots on Saturday, October 12, when the Illini host Purdue, and on Saturday, November 16, for the Michigan State matchup, to help recycle as many plastic bottles and aluminum cans as possible. Past events have diverted almost 1,400 pounds of recyclable materials from local landfills and increased permanent gameday recycling infrastructure and availability.
Expanded Recycling Options
New for the events this season are expanded recycling options throughout Lot 31. Various blue barrels have been designated for recycling-only to make participating even easier for fans tailgating in that area.
Acceptable materials may be placed into the new barrels, the orange and blue recycling boxes within Grange Grove or around the Illinois Tent in Lot 31, and the green dumpster located on First Street. Individuals in RVs or vehicles entering Lot 31 and Lot 32 will be given blue bags to help assist with these collection steps, although loose items will also be permitted. Groups of volunteers will be ready to assist during pregame activities.
Zero Waste Coordinator Daphne Hulse said, “We continue to enhance these recycling efforts by listening to fan feedback and studying collection data from past events. Our goal is to use best practices to grow this program and make it an even bigger part of the gameday experience.”
Recycling events on the Urbana campus are primary aspects of the Don’t Waste initiative. Coca-Cola; the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics; the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE); and Facilities & Services are partnering to reduce waste at major campus events and support reaching sustainability targets.
More volunteers are still needed for both games. For general campus waste management information (how that works/what is recycled) and Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP) progress, contact Daphne Hulse dlhulse2@illinois.edu, 217-333-7550.
Related Providers
Providers
Waste Transfer Station 
The Waste Transfer Station is at the center of campus waste management and recycling activities. The station supports the overall campus goal to reduce the amount of material entering the waste stream.
