Clemson University Recycling Services earned an important regional honor for its work during football season, taking home a 2024 Carolina Recycling Association (CRA) Award at the CRA’s annual conference in Cherokee, N.C. on April 8-11.
The award, which recognizes new and creative ways to improve recycling and waste reduction in the Carolinas, highlighted the impressive work at Clemson’s October 7 football game against Wake Forest. As part of the Collegiate Race to Zero Waste Touchdown Challenge, fans were encouraged to dispose of waste in appropriate recycling receptacles around Memorial Stadium and leaving recyclables in translucent bags for collection. More than 30 student volunteers helped collect and sort the next day, an effort that recycled over 10,000 pounds of material from the game. The group also determined that their first-ever in-stadium diversion rate (waste that is diverted from landfill for recycling, compost or donated) topped 73 percent.
“Winning this Carolina Recycling Association award for our Green Game recycling efforts is incredibly rewarding,” said Lizzy Anast, Clemson’s sustainability coordinator. “Weeks of planning and complex logistics went into this initiative, and to see it culminate in such a high diversion rate is a true testament to the dedication of our entire team.”
Clemson also partnered with Coca-Cola Consolidated to bring The Roadie to the game, a mobile mini material recovery facility that allowed waste to be processed onsite.
Recycling Services participates in sustainability initiatives across Clemson, including currently working with Athletics on formalizing day-to-day recycling in areas like offices and locker rooms.
For more information about sustainability efforts at Clemson, visit our Sustainability and Recycling Services pages.
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