The GameDay Football Zero Waste Touchdown Challenge is a nationwide competition among colleges and universities to reduce and recycle the waste generated at home football games.
Using equitable, just, and friendly competition, the GameDay Football Zero Waste Touchdown Challenge provides tools and opportunities that inspire, empower, and mobilize colleges and universities to benchmark and improve efforts to reduce and eliminate waste at home football games. As part of the Campus Race to Zero Waste program, GameDay Football challenges campuses nationwide to reduce the waste footprint of their home games and tailgating events through efforts including reduction of single-use plastics use, food waste recovery, use of reusable products, recycling, and more.
2024 Challenge Guidelines and Rules:
- Choose one home football game to track and report your recycling, food organics, and trash data in pounds.
- Four categories will be available to participate in (campuses can participate in one or more of these categories):
- Diversion (track and report on trash, recycling and food organics generated). There will be three options for participating in the Diversion category
- In Stadium only
- Tailgating only
- Stadium + Tailgating
- Recycling Per Capita (track and report on cans/bottles, paper and cardboard in stadium only)
- Waste Minimization Per Capita (track and report on trash, recycling and food organics in stadium only)
- Food Organics Per Capita (track and report on organics donated, reused or composted in stadium only)
- Diversion (track and report on trash, recycling and food organics generated). There will be three options for participating in the Diversion category
- Winners will be chosen in each of the four categories:
- Diversion – highest recycling rate of recycling/food organics diverted from the landfill
- Recycling Per Capita – highest generation of recyclables per capita
- Waste Minimization Per Capita – lowest generation of waste per capita
- Food Organics Per Capita – highest generation of food organics per capita
2024 Reporting:
Final reporting for GameDay Football events will be due on December 13, 2024. Campuses will be asked to report on the following: total waste in pounds, date of game, arena, opponent, total attendees, etc. Winning campuses will be featured on the website, and via email and social media.
Sign-up to Participate in GameDay Football 2024
Report on your home football game
2024 Key Dates and Deadlines for the GameDay Football Challenge:
- Last day to register for the GameDay Challenge – Monday, November 18, 2024
- Last day to hold GameDay Event – Saturday, November 30, 2024
- Deadline to report ALL data – Friday, December 13, 2024
- Winners announced! Wednesday, January 29, 2025
- Winners will be chosen in each of the four categories:
- Recycling Per Capita – highest generation of recyclables per capita
- Waste Minimization Per Capita – lowest generation of waste per capita
- Food Organics Per Capita – highest generation of food organics per capita
2023 Winners:
- University of Colorado Boulder – Recycling Per Capita Category
- University of Minnesota – Food Organics Per Capita Category
- Grand Valley State University – Waste Minimization Per Capita Category
- University of Tennessee, Knoxville and Georgia Institute of Technology – Outdoor Events Cleanup Category
2023 GameDay Zero Waste Touchdown Final Report