Illini Football Tailgate Recycling Returns vs. Maryland

This year’s tailgate recycling event will take place on Saturday, November 15, when the Illini host Maryland at Gies Memorial Stadium.

Volunteers will return to Grange Grove and nearby parking lots to help collect and recycle plastic bottles and aluminum cans. Past events have diverted nearly 1,400 pounds of recyclable materials from local landfills and expanded permanent game day recycling infrastructure.

Introducing a New Mobile Zero Waste Station

New this year, Student Affairs’ “Sustainability Gator” will be used at the event. The vehicle and trailer will serve as a mobile zero waste station, assisting with recycling activities in Lots 31 and 32. Various blue barrels will once again be stationed throughout these areas, as well as next to Gies Memorial Stadium, making participation even easier for fans who are tailgating.

Acceptable materials may be taken away by the gator or placed into the blue barrels. Fans can also use the orange and blue recycling boxes located within Grange Grove or around the Illinois Tent in Lot 31, or the green dumpster on First Street. Individuals in RVs or vehicles entering Lots 31 and 32 will be given blue bags to support these collection activities.

More Volunteers Means More Waste Diverted From Landfills

Volunteers are still needed to join the event crew. For general campus waste management information (how it works/what is recycled) and Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP) zero waste progress, contact Daphne Hulse dlhulse2@illinois.edu, 217-333-7550.

Recycling events on the Urbana 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 Facilities & Services are partnering to reduce waste at major campus events and reach sustainability targets.