Categories

The Diversion category is for campuses that have the ability to track and report on recyclables (cans/bottles, paper and cardboard), food organics and trash on a weekly basis.

Watch > Tutorial Video for the Diversion Category

Goal:
The goal of this category is to divert waste from the landfill through reduction and recycling strategies. The Diversion category awards the school with the highest waste diversion percentage. Diversion is determined by the percentage of the total weight of recyclables and food organics diverted from total waste generated.

Ranking: To be ranked in this category, schools must provide their trash, paper, cardboard and cans and bottles weights. Electronics and other non-commodity recyclable or compostable materials such as construction debris or yard waste are not included in the Diversion. The winner will have the highest recycling rate, which means that they not only have reduced trash disposal through waste prevention, but also have a strong recycling program for the acceptable materials. 

Results are calculated using the following equation:

Weight of Recyclables + Food Organics x 100
-----------------------------------------------------------------  = XX%
Weight of Recyclables, Food + Weight of Trash

Three campus winners will be recognized for the Diversion category according to the Carnegie Classification for size – 1) Small/Very Small, 2) Medium, and 3) Large/Very Large.

The two new categories, “Reduce Food Loss by Rescuing Food” and “Diverting Food Waste” are replacing the “Food Organics category” offered during previous competitions. 

The new food organics categories are for colleges and universities with composting and/or anaerobic digestion programs.

Prerequisite to participate in the two new categories: 
Participating college/university is doing at least one of the following actions on campus to address food overage. 

• Portion control techniques (trayless/small plates/pay-per serving instead of all you can eat)
• Measures and reduces food waste in back-of-house food preparation.
• Follows campus policy addressing minimizing food preparation overage each day.

The following materials are included in the food waste organics categories:

• Pre and post-consumer food waste
• Compostable service ware
• Used cooking grease

Food waste generated in office and campus residential settings and/or special events can be included in addition to what is collected from dining facilities. 

New Category #1: (First Line of Defense) Top School to Reduce Food Loss By Rescuing Food

This new category is designed for schools to take a closer look at what happens to viable food (food overage) after services are done and then prioritizes rescuing/redirecting the viable food that is commonly lost to the practices of compost and anaerobic digestion. Viable food should be redirected to feed people, repurposed to feed livestock, and captured for bio-industry uses. A prerequisite is required to address food overage -see above. Must be able to report the following data. 

Schools will report weekly:

+ total lbs of food rescued and redirected to feed other people 

+ total lbs of food repurposed to feed livestock  

+ total lbs of food captured for bio-industry uses

Divided by:

+ total lbs of food waste composted + anaerobic digestion

+ total lbs of food rescued and redirected to feed other people 

+ total lbs of food repurposed to feed livestock  

+ total lbs of food captured for bio-industry use

Winner is the school with the highest number from the equation.

New Category #2 (Second Line of Defense) Top School In Diverting Food Waste from Landfills/Incineration

Schools will report on food loss (i.e., was not captured to feed people, livestock or repurposed for bio-industrial use) but was diverted away from landfills / incineration through the practices of food waste composting and anaerobic digestion. A prerequisite is required to address food overage - see above. Must be able to report the following data. 

School will report weekly:

+ total lbs of food waste composted 

+ total lbs of food waste by anaerobic digestion 

Divided by: 

+ total lbs sent to landfill / incineration

+ total lbs of food waste composted 

+ total lbs of food waste by anaerobic digestion 

Winner is the school with the highest number from the equation.

If a school is among one of the top-ranked schools at the end of the competition, the CR2ZW team will request documentation of these programs as part of the final vetting process to determine category winners. 

Food waste recovery streams are prioritized based on the EPA’s Food Recovery Hierarchy. According to the hierarchy, food recovery actions are prioritized by their benefit to the environment.

The Per Capita category is for campuses interested in focusing on increasing their recycling rate on campus through education and engagement strategies and that have the ability to track and report on bottles, cans, paper, and cardboard; no trash required.

Watch > Tutorial Video for the Per Capita Recycling Category

This category is a great opportunity for campuses just getting started with waste reduction efforts on campus, or new to the Campus Race to Zero Waste competition! 

The Per Capita category is the original and most recognized competition format. It is named in honor of Steve Gaski of Miami University, an early supporter of the Campus Race to Zero Waste (formerly called RecycleMania) in its first years. In this category schools compete to see which can collect the largest combined amount of paper, cardboard and bottles and cans on a per person basis. Results are calculated by dividing recycling weight figures with the full time equivalent (FTE) student and staff population of the school. Schools may participate by reporting separate weights for paper, cardboard and cans and bottles, or by submitting one co-mingled number for “single stream” collection programs. Food waste, electronics and other recyclable items are not included in this category.

Results are calculated using the following equation:

Weight of Recyclables
-------------------------------- = XX.XX lbs.
Campus Population

Three campus winners will be recognized in the Per Capita Recycling category according to the Carnegie Classification for size – 1) Small/Very Small, 2) Medium, and 3) Large/Very Large.

The Zero Waste category is for campuses with advanced waste reduction programs, zero waste plans and policies in place, and the ability to weigh sources of MSW-related waste, and materials collected for reuse. Accurate weights are desired; volume-to-weight estimates are acceptable. Documentation may be requested during review of final results. Campus-wide reporting is required for this category. Participants in the the food organics categories are required to have composting and/or anaerobic digestion programs.

Watch > Tutorial Video for the Zero Waste Category

The Zero Waste main competition category is designed to help schools focus on waste reduction and zero waste efforts campus-wide and compare their results to other campuses. During this competition participating schools will track all sources of their waste generation during the eight-week competition period during February and March. Note: Beginning in 2024, this category will require campus-wide tracking; previous years required tracking for only 3 campus buildings. 

Goals:

Offer alternative competition benchmarking opportunities based on a more comprehensive view of the waste stream and using higher measurement standards.

Opportunity for schools to test or showcase new waste reduction initiatives or education / outreach efforts, and in the process “prove the concept” that can serve as model for rest of campus to follow.

Competition Rules:

1. Schools track waste generation campus-wide. Weigh all sources of MSW (municipal solid waste)-related waste disposed during the eight competition period, including: trash, recycling, organics and materials collected for reuse. All trash and recovered materials should be tracked by actual weight. Volume-to-weight estimates are acceptable; documentation may be requested during review of final results. Review EPA's definition of MSW.If there is another type of waste that campuses dispose of as MSW please include that in your reporting.If you are unable to get exact weights for “materials for reuse” unit-to-weight conversions are allowed; documentation may be requested during review of final results. The United States Transportation Command is a good resource to help determine weight of materials. Construction and demolition, hazardous, medical or other waste materials not typically disposed as MSW should be excluded.
2. Complete at least one building waste audit during the eight week competition period. Campuses will also be required to share photos of waste from other participating buildings - photos of loose, unbagged trash, recyclables and food organics taken on different days during the competition. Photos will be requested during review of final results.Schools are not required to use a specific audit methodology, however, the data reported should be based on the following:Sampling of all sources of MSW waste material discarded throughout the entire building during the same time period within the designated eight-week window.Include weight-based quantities for:

• Recyclables, organics, other recoverable materials properly discarded in recycling / composting bins or otherwise “recovered”.
• Trash or other contaminant materials improperly discarded in recycling or composting bins.
• Recyclables, organics, other recoverable materials improperly disposed in trash bins.
• Non-recoverable trash items properly disposed in trash bins.There are several waste audit templates available:
  > Rubicon Global – Dumpster Diving for Good: How to Perform a Waste Audit
  > Busch Systems – Conducting a Recycling and Waste AuditCampus Examples:
  > Bellevue College waste audit
  > Texas Tech University waste audit video
  > Union College waste audit video; Union College was the top ranking campus > "Race to Zero Waste" for the 2019 competition.
  > University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Waste Audits
  > Washington University St. Louis Waste Audits

Recognition:

An official ranking of three national winners will be based on the following calculation: Lowest total waste generation per 1,000 sq. ft. of usable space (trash + recycling, organics, reusables) for the eight week competition period. Three winners will be recognized in this category based on the Carnegie Classification for 1) Small/Very Small, 2) Medium, and 3) Large/Very Large.