For Ohio State Universityґs inaugural zero-waste program at Ohio Stadium, the first four home games have provided hurdles to overcome in its effort to divert 90% of game-day waste from a landfill.
So far, though, the “Horseshoe” appears to be on track: For those first few games, the average diversion rate has been 74.2%.
“I think weґre off to a great start. … We were maybe a little naпve [at first], but optimistic,” said Corey Hawkey, program coordinator for OSUґs energy services and sustainability office. “As the season has progressed, weґve been able to identify the changes that we needed to make. We made those improvements and weґre slowly but surely, maybe even quickly, working our way up the chart.”
Making sweeping changes inside the stadium this season, eliminating all trash cans and replacing them with recycling and composting bins, and ensuring concession packaging is compostable or recyclable has been no easy (or cheap) feat.
Some of the audibles that have been called, Hawkey said, include spending extra time training concessionaires, providing additional education and monitoring of the compost and recycling dumpsters, and putting more people-power on sorting the compost to make sure itґs not contaminated.
“Each time after the game, we take a look at how things went and reevaluate and look to make those improvements next time, wherever we can,” Hawkey said. “I think the numbers prove that weґve been successful at that.”
As of Oct. 12, OSU and its fans have recycled 37.3 tons of material and diverted 4.9 tons of food from a landfill.
For the first two games of the season, the recycled material was going well – 13.1 tons recycled on Sept. 3 alone, thanks to a lot of water bottles consumed on a sweltering 96-degree day.
The compost, on the other hand, was getting contaminated with objects such as hot dog wrappers. This sort of contamination was making OSUґs partnership with Delaware, Ohio-based Price Farms Organics Ltd. – a composting facility, not an organic farm – unsustainable.
“The clean [compost] we kept out of the dirty and we managed it completely separate it,” Hawkey said. “And then the dirty stuff we were able to look at it, analyze it and say, ‘What is in this stuff? What is contaminating it? Where is it coming from and why is this a problem?ґ ”
Tom Price, owner of Price Farms, is working with the university to sort out the problems. He has offered advice on how to get cleaner compost. By the third and fourth home games, OSU has been able to send a combined 3.8 tons of clean compost to Price, compared with a combined 1.2 tons in the first two games.
Price said heґs extremely happy in the improvements.
“They have made great leaps and bounds on how theyґre handling the noncompostables and keeping that out,” he said. “Thatґs the issue.”
Hawkey said Priceґs help has been invaluable.
“Heґs really kind of re-inflated our aspirations for the program,” Hawkey said. “Heґs come to the table and said, ‘Weґre going to make this work and weґre going to work together to make it a reality.ґ ”
Price admits he was taken aback that there were so many fans willing to do their part.
“The people at Ohio State have really bought in,” Price said. “Itґs surprising to me because I figured there would be 95,000 people interested in football and about 10,000, maybe, interested in helping recycle a little bit. Itґs obvious that more of the fans have taken ownership in the program.”
Ohio State student Jawnie Payne was in attendance for a Sept. 24 game in which the Buckeyes took on the University of Colorado. She said it appeared as though the students were receptive toward the new trash-can-free stadium.
“When I was watching the game,” Payne said, “I saw some of the kids checking the bottom of the nacho [packaging] trying to figure out if it could be composted or recycled. … I think the program is working pretty good.”
Hawkey admits he didnґt fully realize how far-reaching a program like this would be and what it would entail to be successful.
“Iґve developed an understanding of the magnitude of what weґre doing – both operationally and globally,” Hawkey said. “Operationally, Iґve come to understand how complicated it is to do such a project. Iґve learned how important the leadership is. Iґve learned that itґs literally thousands of people that are required to have buy-in in order to be successful.”
On a global level, Hawkey said, heґs come to see how Ohio State has been able to inspire others to pursue zero waste at their stadiums.
“Itґs really exciting to see and hear all the stories of other schools that are starting to ask questions about why canґt they or when can they [go zero waste]. Itґs great to start hearing that rumbling out there,” Hawkey said. “Even if we didnґt reach our goal, or never do, weґve still inspired many others to do the same and follow suit.”
Source: Waste & Recycling News
By Shawn Wright