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.

Campuses are required to report on composting (on or off-campus) to participate in this category. Including aerobic, anaerobic, and vermicomposting. 

Watch > Tutorial Video for the Food Organics Category

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

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

Goal:
The main goal of the Food Organics category is to recognize campuses that are successfully implementing food waste minimization activities that address overage including portion control techniques and preparing food to order. The secondary focus for this category is how food waste recovered is managed (i.e., donation to people, composting, etc.) Campuses need to have the ability to track and report on all campus food waste and any organic materials handled alongside food waste reporting. 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. Food materials that are donated to people, fed to animals, used as biofuels or composted, can also be counted in this category.

Ranking:
To address the first and most important tier of source reduction, schools will be given a point for every food waste minimization activity that is being implemented. During registration, schools will choose which activities they are implementing from the list below. A total of 65 points total can be earned for food waste minimization activities to prevent food overage. 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 Minimization Programs to Prevent Food Overage:

• System to measure and reduce food waste in back-of-house food preparation (10 pts)
• Campus policy focused on meeting or exceeding goal to minimize food preparation overage each day (10 pts)
• Portion control techniques (trayless/small plates/pay-per serving instead of all you can eat) (10 pts)
• Preparing food to order (10 pts)
• Pre-consumer composting (10 pts)
• Reusable to-go containers (5 pts)
• Compostable service ware (5 pts)
• Front-of-house awareness campaign (i.e. Weigh the Waste, Project Clean Plate) (5 pts)

Once the competition has begun, schools must submit weekly weights for the following food waste recovery streams:

• Food donated to people
• Food fed to animals
• Food used for industrial purposes (i.e., biofuels)
• Food and/or compostable service ware composted

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.

Scoring:
Food waste minimization activities and food waste recovery actions that are higher up on the EPA’s Food Waste Recovery Hierarchy receive a higher score. For example, 100 lbs. of food that is donated to people will receive more points than 100 lbs. of food that is composted.

To calculate the final score, the total points earned for food waste minimization activities will be added to the following tiers; each of the food waste recovery tiers have a multiplier to give credit based on the hierarchy (Donate to people = .5, Feed to animals = .3, Used for industrial purposes = .2, Food composted =.15).

Below are the calculations that are used to determine a school’s score once weights are submitted:
- Weight of food donated to people/ Total weight of food waste x .5 = A
- Weight of food fed to animals/ Total weight of food waste x .3 = B
- Weight of food used as industrial purposes / Total weight of food waste x .2 = C
- Weight of food and/or compostable service ware composted/Total weight of food waste x .15 = D
A + B + C + D + Points for food waste minimization = Total Food Waste Score

A school’s final score is the sum of each of the tiers + points for food waste minimization activities shared during registration. 

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. 

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.