From BOWLING GREEN STATE UNIVERSITY
Bowling Green State University is expected to surpass 10,000 pounds of recycled materials for the season during its home football game against Kent State on Tuesday, Nov. 10, as part of its longstanding “Green Game Day” initiative to reduce waste through recycling. BGSU has hosted “Green Game Day” since 2008 through coordinated efforts with fans, student volunteers, and the Office of Campus Sustainability.
For Tuesday’s game, efforts will begin at 4 p.m., when volunteers will engage with Falcon Football fans, distribute green recycling bags for tailgate recyclables, and educate fans about what can and cannot be recycled. Once fans head into the stadium for the 7 p.m. kickoff, volunteers will begin collecting the bags and soring the items to minimize contamination.
“Since humble beginnings as a one-game effort in 2008, ‘Green Game Day’ at BGSU has expanded to include every tailgate at every BGSU home football game, as well as recycling efforts inside Doyt L. Perry Stadium itself,” said Zachary Hayes, BGSU sustainability coordinator. “We expect to eclipse 10,000 pounds for the season on Tuesday, filling recycling bins with thousands of recycled cans, plastic bottles, glass, cardboard, paper, cups, and more.”
As the game ends, the hard work will continue, with Grounds Services staff and volunteers collecting bags from the stadium while student organizations clean up the seats and bleachers. After staff members load the recycled materials into a 30-yard dumpster, they weigh the contents.
BGSU has collected more than 100,000 pounds of recycled materials at home football games since the program began.
BGSU will compete against other universities as part of the GameDay Football Zero Waste Touchdown Challenge. The nationwide competition aims to reduce and recycle the waste generated at home football games. Each team must submit attendance figures for game day and tailgating, along with recycling totals from one home football game. In 2024, BGSU took third place in the “Recycling per Capita” category. Tuesday’s game could be the one game BGSU submits for the 2026 competition.
Efforts to expand waste reduction beyond football are already underway. “BGreen” initiatives will be introduced at BGSU Hockey home games on Nov. 20-21. Volunteers will staff waste stations throughout Slater Ice Arena and provide additional recycling bins.
